Category: Gourmet food

CoCo ICHIBANYA (Japanese: CoCo壱番屋) is a popular and affordable curry chain in Japan, with each branch offering unique local curry flavors.
For example, in the Kanazawa area, they offer Kanazawa Curry; in Hokkaido, they serve Hokkaido Soup Curry.
Occasionally, they introduce seasonal ingredients like fried oysters during local harvest seasons.
Below is a summary of my dining experiences at CoCo ICHIBANYA.

Hiroshima is famous not only for its oysters, but also for the eel in Miyajima. So, after having eel dumplings earlier, it’s a must to have an eel bento for lunch on the train.

Before leaving Miyajima, I stopped by the famous Kamameshi restaurant, Hanabishi, and got a few bento boxes to enjoy later on the Shinkansen.

Traveling with the purpose of eating, the Omotesando Shopping Street in front of the Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima is a bustling marketplace. Along the path, besides numerous souvenir and craft shops, there are plenty of snack bars and restaurants. Therefore, visiting Miyajima means continuing the culinary journey.

Just like my last visit, I indulged in the Momiji Manju from Momijido this time as well.

During my previous visit to Hiroshima, I had already dined at the famous Reichen. This time, I decided to try another renowned restaurant called Chinchikurin. (Thanks to Dango for the info: Chinchikurin translates to someone who is not very tall, and in Japanese Kanji, it’s written as 珍竹林.)

The Hiroshima set meal seemed quite enticing, comprising a serving of creamed oysters, a Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, a deep-fried Momiji Manju (served with ice cream), and a drink—all for just ¥1980 (which totals ¥2079 with tax included).

The first time I encountered this type of miso was in a dinner dish at a hot spring hotel in Mie Prefecture, Taisenkaku. What I had then was “Hoba Miso,” and although the “Denraku Miso” I bought this time tastes a bit different from Hoba Miso, using it as a dressing for ingredients is still quite good~

Aomori is most famous for its apples. Of course, every time I fly, I rely on drinking apple juice to calm my nerves~. When in Japan, I often buy concentrated juice from hundred-yen shops or supermarkets to drink~. Taiwan also imports a lot of apples and apple juice from Aomori, so they are quite easy to find.

Hokkaido boasts many renowned ramen shops, such as Aoba, Hachiya, and Keyaki Ramen.
Among them, Asahikawa is particularly known for its soy sauce-flavored ramen, holding a significant place in the ramen world.

Sugakiya is a local food company based in Nagoya. Besides instant noodles, they also produce some frozen foods and seasonings. They offer a wide variety of instant noodles, primarily targeting the Chubu and Hokuriku regions in Japan, so it’s likely unfamiliar to Taiwanese people; I also only learned about it after making a purchase. This time, I bought their Nagoya specialty flavor – Miso Udon noodles, as Nagoya is quite famous for its miso. Therefore, launching a miso udon instant noodle product makes sense. However, I didn’t add any toppings, so it visually lacked a bit!

Milk Manju Tsukigesho is also a product of Aokishofuan. It is produced by the company that produces “”Osaka cheese cake snacks””. Unfortunately, the delicious Osaka cheese cake snack has been discontinued. However, what has become the company’s best-selling product instead is this Milk Manju called “”Tsukigesho””.