Ichiro's : Where Did The Good Go?
Pan and I decided to try some place we have never been. Tonight the craving was for Sukiyaki and the place was Ichiro's Sushi Restaurant & Bar on Convoy.
There was a diverse clientele here at Ichiro's, Families, Business People and few groups of younger diners. I was hopeful as I looked over the menu. The prices were reasonable.
We started off with Ikura Oroshi ($4.25), Salmon Roe with grated Diakon Radish. This was a very interesting dish. The distinct flavor of the Diakon matched with salmon roe which was slightly sweet with a salty finish. Such savory combinations, would go great with beer or cold sake. Lots of different textures. Not for people with delicate palate.
Next up was the Kaki Fry (S4.95). The oysters were neither plump nor small. Very uniform in size, so much so I wondered if these were pre-made. I prefer Kaki Fry with less batter, more panko breading and oysters more juicy. Overall this dish was OK.
Pan ordered the Champon ($6.95). This is a noodle dish with slice pork, pieces of octopus, sprouts, scallion and fish cake in broth. Pan made a face when this dish was brought to the table. She told me that Champon is normally served with straight noodles about half the thickness of udon. They used ramen in this case. This dish was also...OK. Almost on the bland side.
Now for what I was craving...Sukiyaki Bowl ($9.25). At this point my expectations were low. When our server placed the hot bowl of Sukiyaki in front of me...smells of soy and butter filled the air...mmm...butter. In the hot soy based broth were thin slices beef, tofu, napa cabbage, clear noodles, stewed bamboo shoots and a poached egg. The aroma however was the highlight to the dish. From the first taste I was overwhelmed by the soy/salt flavor. Pan tasted it and wanted to send it back. Normally, Sukiyaki is served with a raw egg, which you then dip the contents into before eating. This might have cut some of the salt, but I was not served a raw egg. I wanted to like this dish so badly. I tried. I even took all contents out onto a plate hoping that being out of the broth would make the saltiness less overpowering. It was a losing battle. I started to get a headache from the salt and had to leave most of the dish.
How can any good chef or cook, make a dish and serve it to a customer without tasting it? How can something smell soooo Good, taste so Bad?
Pan Says: "Nooo Good!" Baby alien in my stomach says "No Good!" too. Lets pretend this was bad appetizers...."Whats for dinner?"
There was a diverse clientele here at Ichiro's, Families, Business People and few groups of younger diners. I was hopeful as I looked over the menu. The prices were reasonable.
We started off with Ikura Oroshi ($4.25), Salmon Roe with grated Diakon Radish. This was a very interesting dish. The distinct flavor of the Diakon matched with salmon roe which was slightly sweet with a salty finish. Such savory combinations, would go great with beer or cold sake. Lots of different textures. Not for people with delicate palate.
Next up was the Kaki Fry (S4.95). The oysters were neither plump nor small. Very uniform in size, so much so I wondered if these were pre-made. I prefer Kaki Fry with less batter, more panko breading and oysters more juicy. Overall this dish was OK.
Pan ordered the Champon ($6.95). This is a noodle dish with slice pork, pieces of octopus, sprouts, scallion and fish cake in broth. Pan made a face when this dish was brought to the table. She told me that Champon is normally served with straight noodles about half the thickness of udon. They used ramen in this case. This dish was also...OK. Almost on the bland side.
Now for what I was craving...Sukiyaki Bowl ($9.25). At this point my expectations were low. When our server placed the hot bowl of Sukiyaki in front of me...smells of soy and butter filled the air...mmm...butter. In the hot soy based broth were thin slices beef, tofu, napa cabbage, clear noodles, stewed bamboo shoots and a poached egg. The aroma however was the highlight to the dish. From the first taste I was overwhelmed by the soy/salt flavor. Pan tasted it and wanted to send it back. Normally, Sukiyaki is served with a raw egg, which you then dip the contents into before eating. This might have cut some of the salt, but I was not served a raw egg. I wanted to like this dish so badly. I tried. I even took all contents out onto a plate hoping that being out of the broth would make the saltiness less overpowering. It was a losing battle. I started to get a headache from the salt and had to leave most of the dish.
How can any good chef or cook, make a dish and serve it to a customer without tasting it? How can something smell soooo Good, taste so Bad?
Pan Says: "Nooo Good!" Baby alien in my stomach says "No Good!" too. Lets pretend this was bad appetizers...."Whats for dinner?"
posted by robwonton at 10:06 PM
2 Comments:
Ron - Rule of thumb, never, ever get Sukiyaki in San Diego. When I do my Sukiyaki post this winter I'll explain why - even in LA, you can't get good Sukiyaki under 20 bucks, a good Warishita(sauce) is not cheapo stuff, and in almost all restaurants is watered down crap, and neither is good meat. Ichiro, usually has good lunch specials, that what I'll get - stay away from the sushi.
Good to know. Too bad Sukiyaki is one of my favorite winter dishes. Deams of Sukiyaki from Maki Restaurant in Japantown Center, in San Francisco, make my stomach rumble and my eyes tear up. Thanks for the heads up about their Sushi.
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