Yoshinoya (Japan)

Gyudon (牛丼), or beef bowl, is a traditional and affordable meal in japan. Outside of Japan, arguably the most famous is Yoshigyu, or Yoshinoya's Gyudon. I love gyudon for its simplicity and good taste. However, I will be vocal in that this experience is highly volatile in Singapore, with it veering strongly to the negative side.


A recent trip to Japan have placed "Eating Gyudon" as one of the top on my "To do list". Thankfully I got to eat it. 


In Japan, Yoshinoya is not the only Gyudon Chain. There are competitors like Matsuya(松屋 - They call their Gyudon Gyumeshi(牛めし) which is essentially the same thing) and Sukiya(すき家). Here, I'm going to share with you what Yoshinoya is like in Japan.

24 Hours

Available in 3 Sizes: Reg, Large & Extra Large

Top - Gyunabe Don 
Mid - Butadon(Pork)
Bottom - Curry

 Ordered


Gyunabe Don (牛鍋丼) + Negitama (ねぎ玉子 - Leek & Egg)

Before anything you'll be served a cup of warm green tea (FOC).

So, what is Gyunabe Don? Nabe is hot pot/Japanese steamboat. So with Gyudon you have a bit of Nabemono(Hot pot dishes) along. As can be seen, in this bowl is a piece of tofu with some shirataki noodles(しらたき). A Negitama was added to go with my rice.

Just top the bowl with the egg

A generous helping of tender beef slices, white onions boiled to a sweet softness along with the nabemono, egg and leek. Whoa, This bowl of Gyudon is heavenly. Not to mention that it is very very affordable at 370 Yen(Approx SGD$6.20)

If you ever visit Japan, Gyudon is a must try for its good taste and affordability.

Here's a picture of the friendly worker who struggled to understand my japanese while I struggled to order and converse with him in japanese.

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Coco Ichibanya

Curry is one of the many staple dishes in Singapore. An indian gravy dish, it has since went on to other parts of the world and each region have their own take on this dish. My favorite? Japanese Curry. Coco Ichibanya is the largest japanese curry franchise in the world, and it's finally here in Singapore!

In Coco Ichibanya, you can really customize the amount of spiciness of the curry and the amount of rice.  For rice, the standard amount is 250g of rice. For those who wants more, you pay more for the rice while for those who feels healthier by seeing less white, you can save some $ by opting for lesser.

Ordered

Mini salad

The mini salad looks like an ordinary salad with the thousand island dressing, doesn't it? But no, it is a sesame dressing that gives it a refreshing taste as a starter/ side dish.


Ice Lemon Tea

The ice lemon tea here is of the unsweetened variety (think Mos Burger lemon tea) in which they provide you with a mini cup of sugar syrup to sweeten the tea according to your personal preference.

Chicken Karaage Omelette Rice With Curry (Lvl 0) *Spiciness non-adjustable for omurice*

The omelette here is the kind that is done with quite a few eggs, where by the gooey upper layer is not flipped but laid directly on the rice. That is how I like my omelette rice.

White rice, no big deal right? NOT! You can screw up rice where it can be too hard or too gooey. The rice here is cooked with just amount of water, neither too soft nor hard. Every grain separable from each other.


The omelette rice resembles an island in the middle of curry ocean. Coco Ichibanya is not stingy with their curry, and each serving is definitely enough to flood the rice.


The curry here is mildly sweet, thick and rich. Don't bother hunting for potatoes for carrots as there isn't any, but the curry is definitely delicious. The karaage is really ordinary, and really lets down the fine curry here.


Score: 4.0/5.0 


Pork Katsu Curry with Cheese (Lvl 1)

Same curry, but with a different level of spice. This time, the spiciness of the curry is evident, which slowly builds up as you eat and stays with you. Thank god for the water that is refilled every now and then. Level 1 is for those who find japanese curry sweet and wants something closer to what we are used to. Go higher if you are just looking for spiciness. If you are looking for the mild and sweet taste that japanese curry is known for, go for level 0.

The mozarella cheese is rather generous and blends in pretty nicely to the taste of the curry. However, it seems like Coco Ichibanya puts all their effort in their curry and nothing in their topping. The katsu is a bit too tough and dry for my liking and can really be improved.


Score: 3.75/5.0 


Prawn Katsu Curry (Lvl 0)

I'm going to say this again, Coco Ichibanya does their japanese curry well. Well enough that higher spicy levels of the curry is enough to convert those who finds it too sweet.(I hope?)

The prawn katsu here fares much better than the highly disappointing pork katsu. Each patty is packed full of prawns, but the patty is a bit too small.


Score: 4.0/5.0 

Mushroom Cream Omelette Curry (Lvl 0) *Spiciness non-adjustable for omurice*

Another form of the omurice curry, except that cream mushroom sauce is poured over it. Frankly, there is not much of a difference between that of the karaage version and the mushroom cream version. The slightly gooey omelette is the differentiating factor here.

Score: 4.0/5.0 

Overall


Each serving of curry for the rice is individually heated before ladling it on the rice, ensuring that each plate of curry rice reaches you piping hot. The toppings, whatever you choose, seems to be generally average and is saved solely by the wonderful curry.


The queue during meal times can be very long, and is not helped by the slow service of the staff. Hope that they can improve their speed, especially in seating customers when the tables are empty.


Coco Ichibanya
313 Somerset
#B3-25/27

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