Coco Ichibanya

********** Our Say **********

Rating: 3/5
Recommended Order: chicken wings, any curry with spicy level of at least 3
General comments: Good service, plenty of seating on weekday afternoon
Location: Bugis Plus, walk from Bugis MRT station across Bugis Junction

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It’s been a while since we last had Japanese curry, and today, as Bo Chub (me!) had a craving for Japanese curry, we decided to check out the curry specialist, Coco Ichibanya. They are a famous Japanese curry chain in Japan, and one of their main draws is that they offer varying levels of spiciness.

They are located prominently on the ground floor of Bugis Plus, and the setting is rather more posh and modern than their Japanese counterparts, which are usually more casual.

They have a helpful menu which has “Recommendation!” proudly displayed over the dishes they are most confident of. Of course, I had to pick from one of those.

The pork cutlet curry with cheese came looking a little different from what was presented in the menu but that was because the cheese was already melted into the curry. The pork cutlet was crispy, although nothing spectacular and they were generous in their serving of cheese. I went with Level 2 on their spiciness scale, and to be honest, this was still rather mild for the average Singaporean.

Fat Chub had the fried chicken with curry. She opted for Level 3, but being a spice lover, this did not offer quite the kick she was expecting. If she comes back, she will most certainly opt for Level 5.

Lion Chub went for the regular beef curry. We all had our curries with the addition of some sides.

They have a flexible side menu, where you can pay $3.50 to choose any 2 or $4.50 to choose all 3 sides.

We liked that the iced lemon tea was served with sugar syrup on the side, which means you can adjust the sweetness to your liking. Personally, I am fond of iced tea just as it is without the syrup, so I was quite happy with the drink.

 

Fat Chub had the ice cream, which was pretty regular tasting.

You can also choose from their snack menu if you are not the type to be full from just plate of rice (we certainly aren’t!).

We thought the fries and curry was an interesting concept but the chicken wings looked better so we went for it.

I felt the chicken wings were the best part of the meal – they were juicy and well marinated, and perfectly fried. The curry was good too, but it wasn’t spectacular like one would expect from a restaurant that serves only curry. One can easily pop into any regular Japanese restaurant and get a very similar selection and quality of curry.

If you are so inclined to try the curry, you can make your way to Bugis Plus at 201 Victoria St, 188067 or call 6341 9978.