food

Save yourself hundreds of yen at CoCo Ichibanya curry chain through menu mastery

7 Comments
By Richard Simmonds, SoraNews24

As much as we love curry rice here at SoraNews24, even when it comes in health-destroying quantities, we always feel put upon to pay money for it. Money that could be spent on Cup Noodles, or treasure-hunting gadgetry. Until we figure out how to blag free curry though, we’ll have to make do with little life hacks, like this way to make the most of the myriad menu options at popular curry chain CoCo Ichibanya to get their delicious beef curry, usually a not-unreasonable 597 yen, cheaper, and get a drink too.

The trick is to start off with a half-size portion of the beef curry (ハーフビーフカレー), at 381 yen. Having only half the rice, and half the scrumptious curry roux, so far not much of a life hack and certainly insufficient to satisfy stomachs which are used to far bigger portions.

cocomenu.jpg

The next step is to add a side serving of rice, which is 150 grams, taking the amount of rice up to the same as the full-size beef curry.

Finally, it’s possible at CoCo Ichibanya to get a refill of curry roux, once, for free. Ask very nicely and the kindly staff will pour another portion of the rich, velvety sauce on your curry, taking the rice and roux up to the same amount as the full-size beef curry but for 514 yen rather than 597 yen, saving yourself 83 yen.

But wait, there’s more! Unlike the full-size beef curry, those ordering the half-size portion also get a drink included in the price. With a choice of eight soft drinks (unfortunately if we want beer with our curry we’ll have to pay for it): orange juice, oolong tea, milk, iced coffee, iced café au lait, Coca-Cola, mango lassie and Kagome vegetable juice. We went with the mango lassie, which would usually set us back 206 yen on its own.

cocodrink.jpg

So for a mere 511 yen, we managed to snag ourselves a full-size beef curry and mango lassie, a choice that would set back saps who don’t know about the possible menu wizardry 803 yen. The difference, 289 yen, is almost enough to add delicious chicken or pork katsu (290 yen) to your curry.

If the sight of all this curry has made you peckish, and your nearest CoCo Ichibanya is a good few thousand miles away, you can also make curry yourself at home, with this recipe.

Read more stories from SoraNews24.

-- Japan’s biggest curry chain now offers a true vegetarian curry

-- No time to cook? No problem! Three easy ways to improve instant curry

-- Twitter user shares her cakey creation that looks just like a plate of curry rice

© SoraNews24

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

7 Comments
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I would be embarrassed at that behavior.

I would tell any little kidz to not copy you either lol.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Richard seems to be a hungry guy without money haha

next he will advise readers to buy expired food

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I would hate to live this way, but I guess that's why I haven't saved as much money as I ought to have?

If you're really serious about saving, buy grain in bulk, discounted veg., and make your own at home.

But I guess that is an utterly miserable way to live, so for mental health as much as anything else, even people on a strict budget need to eat out sometimes.

For foreign students on a very limited budget, this is good advice. For people paying off debts and trying to live on (say) a thousand a day, it's good advice, too.

Let's hope this is a series of articles on How to Eat Well for Less, and some of them don't include meals made up of empty calories and fat, like this one does.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

For ¥83? This cannot be reality!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

you can also make curry yourself at home, with this recipe.

Just as useless. Roux is just flour burnt in fat. Add water, glutamate and salt, spices, serve with rice. You can get 12 servings of the authentic dish for less than 83 yen in total.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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