Ichiban

We ate a late lunch yesterday, as is our custom on the weekends, at Ichiban in Cranston, RI.
It was our second time there, and it was fantastic.

We like to eat out during the "in between time" on the weekends - that window between the typical lunch and dinner hour. I think we started doing this out of a combination of laziness and crowd avoidance, but whatever the reason, it has become our habit.
Yesterday was rainy and dark in Providence, a late-October Saturday perfect for sleeping even later than usual. We didn't pull our act together until mid-afternoon, so by the time we were actually in the car ready to seek out a meal it was close to 4pm.

Our initial plan was formulated while pumping gas at the Shell Station on Wickenden Street, which incidentally is exceptionally busy on the weekends. We'd head south to Seven Moons in North Kingstown, one of our favorite haunts, and gorge ourselves on spicy lettuce wraps, sashimi, and salt-and-pepper shrimp. We knew we wanted something delicious and Asian, and we hadn't been there in a couple of months.

Somehow plans changed and Ichiban came to mind. Located in a non-assuming, very low profile cement block building on Gansett Avenue in Cranston, this Korean/Japanese restaurant is a respite inside, rich with wooden decor and welcoming aromas. Scattered among the spacious booths, tables, and sushi bar, there were only a handful of patrons when we arrived - just the way we like it!
We were greeted warmly and seated in a big comfortable booth. Our waitress was sweet and very attentive and kept us happy.
Ichiban has a wide and varied menu. They do the whole sushi thing, and do it well. Since we had sushi on Friday night (yes, from Sakura, thank you very much...we are nothing if not creatures of habit) we passed this option up. We'd sampled tuna, salmon, and yellowtail on our last visit in March, and it was very fresh, expertly sliced, and flavorful, and served with lots of smiles.

We ordered a couple of glasses of Clos du Bois Chardonnay to start, and then The Doctor had to take a phonecall from a neurosurgeon, so he told me to choose some starters. I decided upon an order of yakitori (factoring into my decision - we had just seen a show on the Travel Channel with a lip-smacking American that featured all forms of it, and the Dinnerman had regrettably missed out on a yakitori experience on a recent trip to Tokyo) , and an order of naruto, a low-carb sushi roll with cucumber on the outside, surrounding your choice of fish (we got yellowtail) and avocado.
Superb. The yakitori was so good! It was chunks of white meat chicken skewered in typical fashion in a teriyaki sauce. But this yakitori went the extra mile. The 2 skewers were not small, for one thing, and they included bell peppers, onions, and carrot in addition to the traditional scallion. The chicken was slightly dry, and in my opinion thigh meat would have been better here. The Doctor did not agree with me, being the loyal white meat fan that he is. I go both ways, depending on the scenario.

On to entrees! I picked the spicy calamari, $12.95 (billed as a chef's special on the menu at the restaurant, but nowhere to be found on the take out menu I had at home, which I tried to reference in preparation for this post). I asked for it extra spicy - I specifically said spicier than they would think a little American woman would want. It wasn't very spicy. It was, however, a delicious plate of tender squid pieced sauteed in a flavorful brown sauce with bell peppers, straw mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and onion slivers. Yum. It came with white rice, and I had enough for 4th meal (er, 3rd, in this case) later at home.
The Dinnerman ordered the Tangsooyuk, $13.95, a huge plate of breaded, fried pork pieces (also available with beef) with bell pepper chunks, onions, and pineapple in a sweet spicy sauce that reminded me of the jalapeno jelly we bought in Little Compton last May, but a melted state. It was served with a pile of shredded cabbage that was topped with what tasted like ketchup.
The jelly sauce was slightly goopy, sweet, spicy, not really my thing but he loved it. It was an enormous portion, and he was so enthusiastic about this dish that we had to field inquisitions from neighboring tables. Think "When Harry Met Sally" but less demonstrative and with a man.

Ichiban means "number one". It's a place where excellence is sought after, and the customer's happiness is the goal. They strive to accomodate everyone - from a party of 2 adults to a party of 12 that came in while we were eating, with 5 young children. It's seamless. The kids were at their own adjacent booth, contentedly eating their (succulent-looking) plates of chicken wings and never wanting for a refill on their Shirley Temples. The adults, in the abutting booth, were happily sipping their pink boat drinks and devouring their sushi - extra spicy!

Go to Ichiban. Say Steph sent you.

Ichiban Korean-Japanese Restaurant
146 Gansett Avenue
Cranston, RI 02910
(401) 432-7220

http://www.ichibanri.com/