Ace Cook CoCo Ichibanya Spicy Curry Instant Yakisoba Review

I found this instant yakisoba at T&T last year and bought like four of them as these types of collaboration noodles don't show up much in Canada, but it does seem to be changing in the last year or so.  My family really liked them.  It was actually really hard to miss these Ace Cook Coco Ichibanya noodles on the shelf as they stand out so much.  Good graphic design!

Coco Ichibanya or Coco Curry House, is a popular Japanese restaurant chain specializing in curry dishes. It was founded in 1978 in Nagoya, Japan, and has since expanded both domestically and internationally. The chain is known for its customizable curry dishes, where customers can choose their preferred level of spiciness, toppings, and side dishes.  There have been many collaborations between Ace Cook and Coco Ichibanya before too.  This one was a new one to me and it also was one of the spicier ones (Japanese spicy - not as strong as Korean it burns my mouth spicy).  I've had curry in Japan before, but only on my last trip did I manage to visit a Coco Ichibanya and it was delicious.  Link to the trip is here.

3/4 view of the Coco Ichibanya Yakisoba from Ace Cook

Top view of the instant curry yakisoba.  It is a clean design that displays the noodles and the logos for two companies.

The top graphic of this instant noodle is an eye catching combination of yellow and red.  The yellow enhances the fact that these are curry noodles (curry powder is yellow) and it shows some delicious looking noodles with bits of vegetable.  Some characters read "spice stimulation." The red side shows big white characters that indicate this is a Spicy Taste (辛旨) curry yakisoba!  The red is a nice indicator of spice too!  I quite like the packaging.

Nutritional info

Ingredients

English product information from importing.  Japanese manufacturing information and directions.

Front side.  This would face out on a shelf if the top could not be displayed.

When you see a lid like this under the colourful outer shrink wrap, you know you have yakisoba noodles.  It's pretty innovative.  You peel the lid back from the A to the B line. Take out all of the little sachets (3 in this case) and open the sachet with the dried vegetables to sprinkle on top of the noodles. The next step is to fill it with boiling water to rehydrate the noodles - make sure you cover the noodles - extra water doesn't matter. Close the lid and let it sit for 3 minutes.  Then pull the tab with the big 3 on it off to reveal slits to pour out the water while retaining the veggies and the noodles.

The three sachets inside the square bowl.

Dried vegetables with green onion, carrots, and soy protein bits.

Spice mix powder

Curry sauce

The sprinkles on the noodles.  Don't add any spices or sauce until after you drain the water.

Filled with boiling water, close the lid, wait 3 minutes.

Pour out the water.

Peel the whole lid off now to reveal your springy noodles!

Once the water is drained, sprinkle the spice mix powder over the top of the noodles.  Then evenly distribute the curry sauce over the noodles.  You will then need to mix it all up really well. Lift the noodles and pull the bottom up the top and mix again and again.  You want to coat the noodles well.

The finished product.  Looks good!

Instant noodle products inspired by popular restaurant dishes, such as Coco Ichibanya curry, are not uncommon collaborations in Japan. These products typically aim to replicate the flavors of the restaurant's signature dishes in a convenient and quick-to-prepare format. There is no surprise, but they did a pretty good job in this case.  The thick fried noodles in this product always simulate fried yakisoba noodles really well! The noodles have a curry flavor, attempting to capture the essence of Coco Ichibanya's curry sauce. The flavor profile probably includes a mix of spices commonly found in Japanese curry, such as cumin, coriander, turmeric, and others. 

A firm curry scent came from the curry sauce and the noodles were well coated with flavour.  There was a medium spiciness from the spice mix powder and it left a lingering heat on the tongue. The noodles were firm and chewy with a bit of spring and chewing these noodles felt a bit deluxe in texture from the sauce coating.  It was quite good and felt like a nice meal.  A really good curry yakisoba, but you have to tolerate a bit of heat.

You can find review for this now unavailable product on Amazon Japan.  It's pretty highly rated, but is on the spicy end for Japan.

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