CoCo Ichibanya @ Pavilion

I've never been a huge fan of Japanese curry.  Well, how could I when our local curries are just so darn gooooood! ;)  Ok-lah, that's not a fair comparison...hehehe!  Perhaps, I've not eaten the right ones as I've only had Japanese curry that so happened to be offered on the menu at some of the Japanese eateries that I dined in.

So, I've not really had Japanese curry at a specialised Japanese restaurant that offers Japanese curry as their signature dish.  Well, that's all about to change with a visit to Coco Ichibanya @ Pavilion.  This place has been around for quite a few years already and I'm now only making my maiden visit.  Better late than never, right?

To cut to the chase, they offer one main thing here...and that's Japanese curry.  You can have it with just about any protein of your choice be it beef, chicken, seafood (shrimp, fish, squid, clams, salmon or mixed seafood) sausages, egg, mushroom or just vegetables.

Not only that, they then allow you to customise your curry rice with endless additional toppings ranging in prices from as low as RM3 to as high as RM24...you name it, they have it! O_o

To order, simply follow their easy step-by-step guide.

Step 1 - Choose the protein/curry dish of your choice from the menu.

Step 2 - Select your quantity of rice.  The standard portion is 230g or you can upsize from 350g - 550g for between RM6 - RM12.  There's also a smaller portion of rice at 150g (ideal for small-eaters) and for that you'll get a RM3 deduction....how lovely, you get a reward for eating less rice, now that's motivation right there! ;P

Step 3 - Choose your heat level starting from mild (for children), standard (original flavour) or Level 1 (medium hot) to Level 5 (omg, crazy hot).

Step 4 - Add on more curry sauce if you want (RM6 for additional 100g or RM12 for extra 200g).

You can also choose to have it in a set meal.  Set A (additional RM6) comes with miso soup and a mini salad while Set B (RM11) comes with miso soup, mini salad and a dessert of coffee jelly.

Now that the How To Order is out of the way, I went for the Scrambled Egg Curry @ RM17 with add-on topping of Beef Diced Steak @ RM20.

The server will ask if you like your topping together with the rice or served separately (but you don't get a choice on how you want your beef done).  As you can see, I requested for my Beef Diced Steak to be served separately.

I also chose the standard heat level (for my curry)...the Original Flavour.  As with most Japanese curries, I tasted the curry paste and raw spices first more than anything else.  One way for me to describe this would be like eating Ipoh curry mee instead of a KL curry mee where the taste is predominantly of curry powder. The hint of spice in this one was pretty mild, so it's suitable for those who can't take it hot, but I found the curry to be on the salty side for my taste buds.

When my beef arrived, I was quite happy with the look and colour of the beef.  Hmmm, well seasoned and well seared, I thought.  But that was before I took a bite and realised it was chewy and dry as hell...it was the most chewy beef I've eaten this year...I could chew until the cows come home!  It could be down to one of two reasons...either it was a sub-standard cut of beef or it was so overcooked (more like it was both)!  >_<

Luckily, the scrambled egg fared much better....it was fluffy and soft.  Though I went with a standard portion of rice (230g), I couldn't finish it in the end (maybe I should have ordered 150g).  But then I don't think I'm that small of an eater, I think it was because I wasn't enjoying my meal all that much.

Our other order was the Seafood Curry @ RM25 with standard portion of rice (230g) and Level 1 (medium hot) heat level.  First impression - I can't really see the seafood! :P

OK, let me dig them out for you to see.  The various seafood bits consist of prawns, squid, scallops and clams...smallish and very little of it, not worth the price paid.

Our add-on topping for this was the Shrimp Cutlet @ RM15.  No complaints on this as it was nice and crisp...but, again, small portion for the price.

We had this curry with Level 1 spiciness.  OMG, even level 1 was very fiery for our tastebuds.  If level 1 heat is already so spicy, I can't imagine what levels 2 to 5 will do to my tongue! >.<

Hot Green Tea @ RM3 is served to you in a pot, good for two fair-sized cups.  I suppose serving it this way eliminates the need to refill your green tea continuously.

My Personal Opinion

I think this could very well be my last time eating Japanese curry.  Even a Japanese curry specialist didn't do it for me.  I guess I'm just not into Japanese curry...neither the proteins (which are mostly fried) nor the curry impressed.  C'mon, once we've eaten/tasted the complexities of our local curries, is there anything that can come close?  Yeah, I know, it's not a fair comparison since Japanese curry is different.

But if you really like the taste of Japanese curry, I suppose you can give this a try....but I'd suggest you choose some other proteins other than the (underwhelming) beef and (meagre) seafood we tried.

Having to pay a price close to RM50 for this meal of Japanese curry, I can think of many, many other Japanese food I'd rather eat with a RM50 budget.  So...good smell (I didn't smell anything), good curry (I'm afraid not for me) didn't ring true in my case! :P

CoCo Ichibanya
Lot 1.52.00 & 1.53.00 Level 1
Pavilion Kuala Lumpur
168 Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2142 1111