Ichiban

Before I moved to Hartford in 1994 I had never had sushi. Two lady friends introduced me to it by taking me to Ichiban. After learning how to use chopsticks, I never looked back.

In those days, Ichiban was in Bushnell Plaza in a space formerly occupied by an Irish sort of bar called Shenanigans. Although Bushnell Plaza is pretty sterile, the space was actually interesting because the owners of Shenanigans had assembled inside an old diner car, which made for a perfect sushi bar (table seating was around what would have been the outside of the diner car).

At that time, I was living in Bushnell on the Park, so having a sushi place right across the way was great, especially because at that time the owner of Ichiban (Sam Oh) was living in the same building as me. I got to be very friendly with him and his staff and many times I would go there on Sunday afternoon and be the only Westerner in the place.

I was heartbroken when Ichiban left Downtown and moved to its present location on Farmington Avenue in the West End (pictured above) around 1998 (I vaguely remember someone buying the diner car and taking it to Rhode Island). It was a great move for the business, as Ichiban has been very successful in its new location and attracted a whole new clientele of West Hartford residents willing to hop over the city line, but apparently not willing to make the trip Downtown and scavenge for parking.

It is also a great example of how small businesses can thrive in cities even when chains aren't willing to invest. Ichiban is in what used to be a Friendly's Ice Cream that closed. Oh bought it, gutted it, and refurbished it. The chain is gone, but the location is more successful today than ever.

I haven't gone to Ichiban nearly as much as I used to when it was Downtown (sake and driving definitely do not mix) but I haven't been disappointed any time I have gone. My wife and try to get there as much as we can and yesterday we decided it was time to make the trip.

At the outset, it's important to note that Ichiban isn't a classic sushi bar because it is also a sit-down Korean restaurant. I have very limited exposure to Korean food and I haven't had too much from the non-sushi part of Ichiban's menu, so I really can't comment.

On the other hand, I have had the sushi more than enough times to say that for my money, it is the best place around.

Yesterday, my wife and I started with an order of sliced codfish ($5.50) pan fried in an egg batter (which is yellow and light, as opposed to a flour based batter, which is brown and heavier). My wife though it was pretty good, but I really liked it. We both loved our order of kani (crab) shumai ($5.50). The flavor was amazing.

We then had some squid salad ($4.95 each). The squid was nice and fresh, which made it chewy and a sprinkling of sesame seeds gave it some texture. The squid is served with pickled ginger (or gari, as it is called) which makes it a great palette cleanser.

Our dinner was built around a dragon roll, which was about 8 pieces of fried shrimp and avocado with a teriyaki glaze over which were sprinkled sesame seeds ($8.95). Sushi is not just about taste, it is also about texture, and the crunchiness of the fried shrimp and the softness of the avocado work really well together. Also, the sweetness of teriyaki sauce offsets the shrimp and the avocado quite well.

We also had a spicy tuna roll. It is a solid choice and pretty reasonably priced ($4.50/8 pcs). We also had the unagi (freshwater eel) which is glazed in teriyaki sauce ($4.50/2pcs). Eel is a lot more chewy than fish and when mixed with the teriyaki sauce it is a taste and texture altogether different than most sushi, so it is a great contrast.

We also had my favorite, saba (mackerel) ($3.50/2 pcs). Mackerel has a strong and very distinct taste when eaten raw, and it has an unusual texture (it's more oily than say tuna or yellow tail). Again, it is a nice contrast to more basic choices.

Finally, we had a special order made for us, wasabi tobiko. Wasabi is the green stuff that comes with your sushi that you mix with soy sauce. It is in the same family as cabbage, horseradish, and mustard, and gives off heat like hot mustard that you sense more in your nose than on your tongue. Tobiko, of course, is flying fish roe (i.e. eggs). Wasabi tobiko involves marinating the roe until it is infused with wasabi, taking on the green color of the wasabi. It is then served in rice paper.

If you don't like spicy or hot foods, then this isn't for you. But if you do, or you like to at least try new things, try this. Eating roe is like eating tiny little beads, but when they are infused with wasabi they literally explode with flavor as you chew. The heat is bearable, but pretty intense and it will definitely clear your sinuses. Our serving was wonderful.

Ichiban has the usual variety of sushi on the a la carte menu, and there are a bunch of different lunch and dinner specials. We didn't have anything to drink, but Ichiban's has a full selection of sake (hot and cold) and plenty of beer, including Japanese favorites Sapporo and Kirin. I think they also serve plum wine, but I can't remember for sure.

People are very picky about their sushi. It is expensive and it is raw fish, so you want to be sure you are getting a good, fresh cut. I also have been to enough sushi bars and restaurants to know that being a regular has its privileges (depending on who is working at Ichiban my wife and I can get a wonderful hand roll or two specially created for us). That said, Ichiban is a very good place, the prices are pretty reasonable, and I have a ton of good memories from all my trips.

Here is a link to Ichiban's website - http://www.ichibanhartford.com/index.html