Japanese vs Indian curry battle begins as CoCo Ichibanya opens first store in India, birthplace of the famous dish
- Japanese chain has eschewed the pork and beef curries so popular in Japan, instead selling chicken, seafood and vegetable curries
- The opening has triggered inevitable comparisons between Japanese and Indian curries, only likely to grow with more CoCo Ichibanya outlets planned
Popular Japanese curry restaurant chain CoCo Ichibanya launched its first Indian outlet earlier this month in Gurugram, a city 30km (19 miles) southwest of the capital New Delhi, in what could kick start a battle of the curries in the South Asian country.
The debut of a foreign curry chain in India – the birthplace of curry itself – is being hailed by some as intrepid but by others an unnecessary move, the gastronomic equivalent of “carrying coals to Newcastle” for parent company Ichibanya.
The restaurant’s owners are confident they will be able to curry favour with foodies in the 1.4-billion-strong nation with a voracious appetite for spice.
“Indian people who have visited our outlets in Japan said our curry tastes good,” Hirosuke Nakamura, chief operating officer of Ichibanya India, said to the press before the opening. “We think our curry will be accepted.”
Prasenjit Adhikari, chief executive officer of Ichibanya India, said the company is excited to introduce Indian diners to its unique take on this traditional cuisine.
“Our 60-seater restaurant was packed to capacity on the inaugural day and we’ve had a consistently good response to our takeaways and home deliveries as well,” he said.