April 1, 2008
CoCo Ichibanya Curry House means Number 1 Curry is CoCo
CoCo Ichibanya Curry House カレーハウスCoCo壱番屋 has a motto: 'good smell, good curry'. Ichiban means 'number one', and ya means 'shop' so this place is THE NUMBER ONE PLACE FOR CURRY!
Even though there are both Japanese and English menus (along with 5 other languages, including Arabic!) what really helps the first time visitor is the little pictures of how red your face gets with the increase in spice levels! You can get different kinds of meat/veggie bases, how much rice you want, and select the level of spice from 1 to 10. Of course, I've eaten a "10" three times in my life (including this visit in March 2008) but it is highly recommended not to go above a "5" level the first time. When we were stationed here in 2003-2005, we had a reservist come in from New Mexico that loved spicy food. He tried a "6" level and ended up all red with sweat running down his neck! Levels increase from 'your brain will start melting' to 'your eyes will pop out of your head' so be careful!
They are open 1000-0300 to feed that late-night hankering for spicy food. I recommend the bread (naan) and milk to cut the spice, but keep in mind this is not Indian curry--its Japanese style curry which is a bit sweeter.
CoCo Ichibanya Curry House カレーハウスCoCo壱番屋 is a popular chain in Japan with over 1,000 locations in the country. In Okinawa they have about 5 locations, near Kadena Air Base and Camp Foster. There are also 5 locations in Hawaii, most on Oahu.
You can't beat CoCo's Curry House for Number 1 Curry!
Even though there are both Japanese and English menus (along with 5 other languages, including Arabic!) what really helps the first time visitor is the little pictures of how red your face gets with the increase in spice levels! You can get different kinds of meat/veggie bases, how much rice you want, and select the level of spice from 1 to 10. Of course, I've eaten a "10" three times in my life (including this visit in March 2008) but it is highly recommended not to go above a "5" level the first time. When we were stationed here in 2003-2005, we had a reservist come in from New Mexico that loved spicy food. He tried a "6" level and ended up all red with sweat running down his neck! Levels increase from 'your brain will start melting' to 'your eyes will pop out of your head' so be careful!
They are open 1000-0300 to feed that late-night hankering for spicy food. I recommend the bread (naan) and milk to cut the spice, but keep in mind this is not Indian curry--its Japanese style curry which is a bit sweeter.
CoCo Ichibanya Curry House カレーハウスCoCo壱番屋 is a popular chain in Japan with over 1,000 locations in the country. In Okinawa they have about 5 locations, near Kadena Air Base and Camp Foster. There are also 5 locations in Hawaii, most on Oahu.
You can't beat CoCo's Curry House for Number 1 Curry!
CoCo Ichibanya Curry House カ...
CoCo Ichibanya Curry House カ...
CoCo Ichibanya Curry House カ...
Jeff before eating a "Level 10" ...
Menu with spicy levels up to "Le...
Close-up of faces on menu of spi...
Jeff after eating a "Level 10" s...
Large version of carry-out menu ...
