Life > April 17, 2008

By Katie Breidenbach | Contributing writer

For those seeking a different and healthier dining option, Ichiban Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar will fit your desire for good food that isn’t bad for you.

Claiming to serve food with low cholesterol, low fat and low salt, you’ll find the restaurant tucked between Borders and Baskin Robbins in the Thruway Shopping Center on Stratford Road.

I took my sushi connoisseur with me on this adventure and found that while Ichiban will still be a second or third to nearby Sakura and Ishi, I enjoyed the food and was very satisfied overall.

It is easy enough to find and has a comfortable and clean atmosphere.

You would be perfectly fine eating in jeans and a T-shirt.

We were seated promptly and our waitress brought menus and water immediately.

Patrons can also sit at the bar and the lack of background music allowed for pleasant conversation as the restaurant was not overwhelmed with noise.

The menu features a range of salads, soups, appetizers, udon-noodles, yaki soba, tempura, sashimi and sushi (nigiri, nori maki and temaki).

For those whose knowledge of exotic food extends about as far as the Pit’s “international station,” I’ll give you a rundown of what these entrees entail.

Udon-noodles are wheat-based noodles served in a soup with a soy-based broth, vegetables and meat. Yaki Soba is basically your favorite ramen noodles but ten times better! They are also wheat-based noodles and stir fried with vegetables and chicken or shrimp.

Tempura refers to deep fried vegetables or seafood.

Sashimi is a simple raw fish dish accompanied with rice on the side, while nigiri comes with the raw fish served on rice.

On the other hand, nori is the type of seaweed used to make rolls while maki means that the sushi is rolled and then cut. Temaki is hand rolled.

Despite the fact that we couldn’t get sweet tea (I know this is a great disappointment to many), we were pleased with our tasty appetizers and sushi.

The seaweed salad is excellent; it’s served with a vinegar, soy sauce and sesame oil dressing.

The house soup, Ichiban soup, was very light but not very flavorful.

The chicken in the soup was also dry. However, the gyoza (dumplings) were not your average dumplings.

These were much smaller and more manageable, lightly fried and served with the special soy and vinegar sauce.

We also ordered a Fuji maki toll and a snow mountain Roll.

The Fuji maki had shrimp, salmon, tuna and crab and was served with the special house sauce – orange in color and with a spicy bite to it.

The snow mountain roll consisted of shrimp tempura, cucumber and Alaskan king crab and masago (a type of caviar) on top.

The food was all fresh and the portions were very generous.

Each order comes with about eight pieces of sushi per order and is very filling.

Well, if you saved room for dessert after all of this, there is green tea or red bean ice cream.

For those who can enjoy sake, beer or wine, there is a range of Japanese beers available in twelve ounce or twenty-two ounce, sakes and wines (coming in whites, cabernets, merlots, shirazes and pinots).

For the vegetarians, it is possible to eat here, although you are pretty much limited to the vegetable sushi, vegetable yayki soba, vegetable tempura and the salads.

Salads run from $1.50–$5.95 and soups from $1.50–$4.95 for the Ichiban soup.

Appetizers range from the spring rolls at $1.50 to the seared tuna at $8.50.

Noodles and tempura range in price from $5.95–$7.95.

Nigiri is all under $5 while nori maki reaches $6.95.

The chef’s special nori maki rolls are more expensive, around $10.95.

The most expensive item on the menu is the chef’s choice which consists of assorted sushi or sashimi at $15.

Reservations are not needed and the service is quick and efficient.

You pay at the front on your way out, and they accept cash and credit cards.

I suggest that even if Sakura or Ishi are your regulars, you give Ichiban a try and enjoy a less known place that also has good food at reasonable prices.