It’s katsu all day erryday at CoCo Ichibanya.
Part of a spate of 2018 Asian food arrivals – see also Din Tai Fung, home of the ‘world’s best dumplings‘ and Jollibee, where sweet spaghetti is apparently a thing – CoCo Ichibanya opened an under-the-radar joint in Covent Garden last December. For those who’ve never heard of CoCo Ichibanya, it’s widely regarded as Japan’s favourite katsu curry restaurant, which certainly explains the 1100 restaurants they’ve got over in Japan. Now the UK has joined their katsu empire, and they’ve just announced plans for a new joint over in Marylebone. Here’s what you can expect!
CoCo Ichibanya have thrown open their doors to serve all katsu everything to hungry foodies. And when I say “all katsu everything”, I really do mean it. If you’re used to seeing chicken, pork, or veggie katsu, you haven’t used your imagination enough, because this restaurant is on a mission to prove there are katso many more options. And nope, I won’t be apologising for that one.
Your dishes are customisable, with diners able to vary the levels of spicing, sweetness, rice portions, and most intriguingly, toppings. Tired of the usual panko-breaded chicken? Why not top your katsu with beefburgers, sausages, fried squid rings, or even scrambled eggs? Some of the combinations are admittedly a little bonkers, but the unconventional approach has worked for Jollibee, so we’ll give it a chance. Variety is the spice of life, after all…
Find it at 17-18 Great Newport Street, WC2H 7JE. Nearest station is Leicester Square. Coco Ichibanya is expected to open at 39 James Street, Marylebone, sometime in December 2019 or January 2020.
Featured image: @c_micheline