Japanese curry chain Coco Ichibanya to open a branch in India next year

Can Japan’s version of an Indian dish survive in Delhi, the curry metropolis?

As far as fast food goes, Japan certainly has a plethora of options. Whether you want beef bowls, chicken and egg rice bowls, tempura, hamburgers, tacos, or fried chicken, Japan has got it all, so you’ll never go hungry for cheap, fast, and tasty food. But when it comes to customizing your order exactly how you want it, there’s no better place than Curry House CoCo Ichibanya.

Coco Ichi, which offers take-out as well as dine-in options, has shops all over the country, and for good reason: their menu has something for everyone. CoCo’s specializes in curry, of course, but what kind of curry is up to you. When you order at CoCo’s you can choose what kind of curry base you want, how much rice you want, how spicy you want it, how sweet you want it, and what toppings you want to put on it. If you’re really hungry, you can choose to order every single topping on the menu, or if you’re going low carb you can even sub out the rice for cauliflower rice. They also have vegetarian options as well as Halal selections, which makes their menu especially flexible.

▼ If all you want is a pile of pork cutlets, then CoCo Ichi has your back there, too.

So that’s why it’s no surprise to see our favorite curry shop opening up its doors in other countries…except we were pretty shocked to learn that Japan’s unique version of curry is planning to make its way to India. That’s like our little baby curry being released into the wild, where all of the big curries can beat it up and eat it for breakfast!

The company that runs CoCo Ichi doesn’t seem concerned; they’re teaming up with Mitsui & Co in a joint venture to bring the first CoCo’s shop to New Delhi or the surrounding area as early as next February. They’re even considering making it a franchise opportunity in the country, with the hope that by 2030 there will be as many as 30 CoCo’s shops.

But that perhaps depends on how well the initial shop will do. The plan is to keep the chain’s original curry sauces, flavors, spice levels, and toppings, so it will stay true to the Japanese style of curry, but there will also reportedly be options to purchase naan instead of rice, and add other toppings that suit the tastes of locals, too.

▼ CoCo Ichi’s standard beef curry

The price of the curry dishes will start at about 780 yen (US$7 or about 491 Indian rupees), which is reportedly a little high compared to other curry shops in Delhi, but officials in charge of the venture hope the addition of a new kind of food and a uniquely Japanese food culture will bring customers to the chain.

But will that be enough? Japanese net users don’t seem to think so:

“I have a feeling it’s going to fail.”
“India->England->Japan->India. The reverse importation is complete.”
“It’s not really a curry that will be accepted in the place where curry comes from…”
“That’s like American sushi restaurants opening up in Japan. Yeah, it’s gonna fail.”
“It’s not even delicious curry in Japan…well, they’re free to do what they want.”
“People of the Hindu religion can’t eat beef, Muslims don’t eat pork, and CoCo’s doesn’t carry mutton curry. Can their chicken curry alone be successful?”

What do you think, SoraReaders? How will a Curry House CoCo do in India, whose curry selections and flavors are already the best in the world? Can the Japanese curry chain keep up as it is, or will it have to change its style to suit the taste of locals? Fingers crossed that our little baby curry survives!

Source: NHK News Web via My Game News Flash
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