Originally just ICHI Sushi, the restaurant expanded and re-opened with a new name, ICHI Sushi + NI Bar. I made reservations about a week in advance and called ahead to request seats at the bar because I like watching the sushi chefs at work.
We started with four Kusshi oysters, which were extremely cold and fresh. We ordered a variety of different nigiris: maguro zuke (marinated tuna), shiro toro (albacore tuna belly), ikura (salmon roe), japanese uni hokkaido, and hotategai hokkaido scallop. I've never had scallop nigiri before and it was my favorite of the night. Like the mural on the wall boldly states, there was no need for soy sauce because each nigiri is seasoned by the chef. I have to admit though that some pieces were heavy on the wasabi and made my eyes water. But I could really tell that the ingredients were fresh and well prepared.
We also tried the hot beef tataki dish and the wagyu beef was so tender and went well with the white ponzu sauce. The cold somen with shiso and crab was unique because of the shiso pesto and was reminiscent of an Italian dish. Overall, ICHI is a solid restaurant but I do think that the prices are a bit steep. Also Bernal Heights is a bit far from where I live so not sure I would make the special trip out to come again. But no regrets tonight because I've heard such great things about the restaurant and I'm always happy to try new places.
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| Kusshi Oysters |
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| Ikura Nigiri |
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| Japanese Uni Hokkaido |
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| Beef Tataki: japanese wagyu beef, radish kimchee, white ponzu, crispy burdock root |
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| cold somen with shiso: thin wheat noodles, shiso pesto, citrus, crab |
