Loco Coco

Rating: Very good
Meal:  Dinner
Price:   2100 yen
Payment:  Credit cards accepted
Dishes:  Gatang langka, goya champuru, garlic rice
English Menu:Yes
Smoking: Yes

This Filipino place looks like they've got some good food, if only they were ever open to try it!  The sign says open at 11am but I've never seen it open before.


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Well it's much much later, but I finally got around to coming here for dinner!  And man, I'm kicking myself for it taking this long.  I love filipino food and frequently bemoan the lack of that food in Yokosuka.  It's true, I still have not found a nice, family style restaurant.  This place is a bar that happens to serve filipino food.  And yes, it may not be the best filipino food ever, but it's probably the best available in Yokosuka.  I suspect many dishes are pre-cooked and frozen, to be re-heated on the stove, but nevertheless, yum.  Also, luckily there were few customers and no one was smoking, all of which improved the atmosphere.

They also have filipino beer (not included in the price above) so I had to get me a San Miguel.  I followed it with a cheaper, larger Sapporo, which I have to say was a bit better.  But then I've only ever loved San Miguel on a sweltering night in the Philippines, and some say the importing process does something to the beer.  They also have Red Horse, a slightly stronger upgrade to San Miguel, but as you'll see, I did not have room for a third.

Iba ang may pinagsamahan...San Miguel Beer!

I love Gatang Langka.  It's a cream of coconut cooked dish that features langka (aka Jackfruit, a relative of durian) that has been cooked in the creamy goodness until it's soft and the pungency of the raw fruit has been vastly mellowed.  There is usually a bit of pork in the dish as well.  When I saw it on the menu, I had to try it.  But I wanted something green too, so I asked for some kind of vegetable dish and it was suggested I try the "bitter melon" dish (aka ampalaya in Tagalog or goya in Japanese).  I said sure, why not.  It turned out to be Okinawan goya champuru with pork instead of spam.  Which was fine, I love this dish, but it's not very filipino.  I asked about this and was told the dish is called Sinigang na Ampalaya, but I don't think so because Sinigang is almost always a sour soup dish and the pictures I see on the internet reflect that.  But whatever, it was tasty!  Not the best champuru I've had, but decent enough, and it made a nice alternation between the bitterness of the ampalaya and the sweet creaminess of the langka.  I also ordered some garlic fried rice that was a bit late to arrive, so it's not in the picture, but it tied everything together.

Langka on the left, champuru on the right

I am looking forward to returning and trying more of their food.  It's a bit expensive, but given that I haven't had real Filipino food since being in the Philippines last November (and far longer before that), I can't complain too much.