Ichiban Japanese Grill and Sushi 

Address: 502 15th St, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35401

Walking into the faded yellow wallpaper and taupe curtains, I feel instantly at home in a small hole-in-the-wall sushi place, Ichiban.  As I entered the small restaurant, I could see the rainbow of fish at the sushi bar, my stomach already growling and my eyes feasting with delight.  

Ichiban is a local Japanese restaurant in Tuscaloosa, found on 15th Street close to Bama Lanes bowling alley.  Though the shopping complex can look a little like a haunted house, don’t let those faded gray boards scare you away.  Ichiban’s small windows showcase figures and small curtains, restricting your full view of the restaurant.  The mystery of it all furthers interest in the restaurant, inviting you to experience a brief taste of Japanese culture.  Japanese culture is centered around both simplicity and efficiency: both allowing the diner to enjoy a fulfilling meal while not wasting their time with unnecessary showcasing.  The dishes are set up beautifully but are also functional: the bento boxes each have a section for each dish, while the sushi is spread out enough to allow even beginners to be able to grab the sushi with chopsticks.  The overall environment, from the interior to the dishes craft a picturesque version of a Japanese sushi bar unlike any other in Tuscaloosa. 

While Ichiban has a rough outer shell, once you walk into the restaurant it completely changes: the crisp smell of fried noodles, the succulent soup bases, and the linoleum booth seat covers, worn slightly from ages of people sitting there.  Looking around, you see that this retro Japanese restaurant prides itself on making Japanese food in the way that it has been made for ages.  While there is a television buzzing above the sushi bar, the small restaurant fills with the clinking of dishes, chatter of the diners, and bustle of the kitchen.  Ichiban’s vinyl booths and basic wood tables give a home-style feel to the restaurant.  The simplicity of the restaurant allows you to focus more on the colorful dishes: the deep reds of the peppers, simmering sweetly; the golden yellow noodles, fondling your tastes buds; the neon green wasabi, both an invitation to try and a warning for the faint of heart.  Ichiban invites anyone from college students to international visitors to its doors, sharing a universal experience that can only be found through a good meal.   

Part of what makes a restaurant memorable is its works, and Ichiban has found its niche of both hardworking employees that are also insanely good at what they do.  The service, even though it’s a bit slow at times, typically amazes me through how well the servers know their dishes.  The sushi chefs make unbelievably beautiful and distinctive maki rolls, providing multiple styles for all different palettes.  The kitchen chefs also know how to make traditional Japanese noodle and fried dishes as well, serving what may be more equated with traditional Asian fare.  No matter what you come looking for at Ichiban, there should be someone there who can help you find what you desire.   

Ichiban serves Japanese home-style dishes, from bento lunch boxes to signature and classic sushi dishes.  While some of my friends head straight for the bento boxes, I typically get a small sushi menu.  The paper menu seems frail but stands for a culinary vision.  The list is easily divided into many categories, but I stick to the raw sushi (tempura isn’t really my thing.)  Last time that I went to Ichiban, I decided that I would get my typical type of sushi fare: simple but succulent spicy salmon rolls, smooth yet sweet eel nigiri, and a savory yellowtail roll.  The intricate simplicity behind making each of these rolls only involves wrapping small pieces of fish in rice and covering it with nori (seaweed).  The difference between the rice filler, fishy meat, and salty seaweed can easily be used to satisfy any salt cravings, but I find it much better to also use soy sauce to accompany these dishes.  The artistry of making something so simple into a filling and wonderful dish is one of the many reasons I return to Ichiban regularly.   

While my taste in sushi revolves around simplicity, Ichiban makes much more intricate maki rolls.  My friends ordered a rainbow roll, dynamite roll, and Tuscaloosa roll.  I tasted each of these rolls, and even though they didn’t follow my typical code of simplicity (Or Japan’s for that matter), they were each delightful in their own way.  The rainbow roll is one of my favorite maki rolls, featuring a California roll covered in salmon, yellowtail, tuna, red snapper, and avocado.  The freshness of each fish combined with the briskness of the avocado match well with the salty soy sauce and wasabi, if you are feeling up to it.  The dynamite roll is a cooked maki roll, comprised of baked scallops, shrimp, crabmeat, and mayonnaise.  The crabmeat sticks gave a certain bitterness to the rolls, but the scallops and mayonnaise coated my mouth in a comforting blanket of tempura goodness.  Even though I had not originally liked tempura, I loved the difference between my typical fare and what my friends loved to order.   

Ichiban is a reliable source of both sushi and Japanese fare for anyone in a mood for some delicious fried rice and tempura shrimp.  For many restaurant goers, Ichiban provides a small, safe place fitting for any occasion that you might have.  The staff treats each guest with respect, and they actively try to make you feel welcome in this home away from home.  I personally have sat in a booth on a slow day for a while: drinking tea, eating sushi, and overall relaxing and preparing for the day ahead.  I would highly recommend Ichiban to any person that wants to have a good meal and either get out to the world as soon as possible or stay and live in the moment, surrounded by the hum of the television, the acidic smell of fried rice in the air, and a brief period to escape to somewhere both here and not.