Return of the Japanese Curry

Yup, you guessed it -- I went back to Coco Ichibanya last night for another dose of their delicious curry.  I couldn't stay away, and now whenever I think of curry, I think of this place.  Rowland Heights should be happy to welcome a new member to their restaurant family as this particular franchise has only been open for six months.  They have more than 1,200 restaurants of the same name worldwide, and this gem may have been the most recent addition.  

Wish they had given me their frequent buyer card on my first visit though.  You buy 10 meals and the 11th one is free with your choice of two toppings.  I could have had six stamps after last night's meal.  

I decided to try the thinly-sliced beef curry at spice level 7.  *GASP* LEVEL VII!!!  Wait a minute, it can't be too bad, right?  It's not a level 10.  That was my thought until I took the first bite.  Wowwweeee!  Level 7 was spicy!!  The curry was delicious and the beef was reminiscent of the kind Yoshinoya uses in its beef bowls, but after the first few spoonfuls my throat was on fire.  My thought: How am I ever going to get to level 10??  You must think I'm crazy.

Thinly-sliced beef curry

What's crazy is they now have a 'Spice Challenge' that I wasn't aware of until last night.  The challenge is to order an XL curry dish at spice level 10 and finish it in five minutes.  The prize: the plate is free and you get to post a cheesy photo of your curry-covered face on their challenge winners' bulletin board.  OK, extra large I can probably do.  Spice level 10 I can work my way up, but to finish ALL this in just FIVE minutes?!  You have got to be out of your mind.  

I'm not a fast eater, and I don't think I'll be drinking my curry anytime soon just to get a free meal.  Where's the joy in that?  All I can think about is major stomach abuse = major diarrhea all through the night.  Umm ... no thanks.  But I guess it would be interesting to watch someone else do it?  Or maybe not.  What do you think?

Anyway, my dining compatriots whose first time at this curry joint was last night, opted for the following plates after having studied the menu for 10 minutes like I did my first time here:

Chicken cutlet curry, spice level 4

Chinese dumpling curry with tofu

Both enjoyed their dishes as they wiped their plates clean!  Coco Ichibanya doesn't disappoint.  Looking forward to going back in two weeks with my sisters!  I'm thinking I'll try fried hoki, stewed chicken, or Keema curry next.  Will I jump up another level and try spice level 8, or maybe even 9?  Stay tuned and find out.  Till then, happy eating!