Just like at a buffet, dining at an all-you-can-eat (AYCE) sushi spot takes a little strategizing. That’s a tall order at Sushi Ichiban, located in the Emergency Arts Building Downtown. Everything on the menu looks so appetizing, any semblance of discipline evaporates the moment you walk in to be greeted by a giant winking doll named Ichi Jjang.
The vibe at Sushi Ichiban is modern industrial Asian chic. Traditional paper lanterns and rustic barnyard-style pendant lights illuminate the dark wood and red-accented 2,700-square-foot space, with plenty of tables for pod socializing. The sushi bar, too, has ample seats if you enjoy watching the chefs craft delectable rolls. The all-you-can-eat price ($24 for lunch; $28 for dinner) is the best bang for your buck, but you can also order any menu item a la carte.
The menu is a double-sided, laminated page that seems overwhelming at first, but if you’re doing AYCE, you have plenty of time (90 minutes is the limit) to pick and choose. Our first tip is to start with the vast selection of appetizers. The carpaccio—two pieces each of tuna, salmon and yellowtail sashimi—is beautifully garnished with thinly sliced onions and a light citrus dressing. It’s a great introduction to the quality of fish you’ll find at Sushi Ichiban.
Next, try a few nigiri bites, as simple and pure as sushi can get. Later, you’ll eat rolls laden with various ingredients, but well-cut fish atop perfectly seasoned rice is reason enough to be here. Though that shouldn’t stop you from trying more apps: The shrimp tempura is battered and fried with the lightest touch, while the baked mussels’ richness might make you order another round immediately. Get a seaweed salad, too; it’s a great palate cleanser before you dive into the rolls on the other side of the menu.
Which brings us to tip No. 2 in doing AYCE sushi: If you’ve come with just a companion or two, pick a few rolls that appeal to your table and request just half a roll. It’ll come with four pieces, which gives you more room to experiment with other varieties before you fill up.
Every sushi lover has their favorite rolls—classics like Philadelphia, Rainbow and Caterpillar. Sushi Ichiban has more than five dozen. On a recent visit, we tried several … for the sake of research, or course. We began with the innocuously named ones: The Spider Roll, with soft shell crab meat, avocado, cucumber, gobo (burdock root), kaiware (radish sprouts) and eel sauce; and the Mango Style Roll, with mango, crab meat and cucumber, topped with salmon, tuna, yellowtail, avocado and spicy garlic ponzu sauce. Both were terrific and made us wish we had ordered a full roll … until we remembered how many more there are on the menu.
Tip No. 3: Pay attention to the sauces—ponzu, eel, spicy yum, spicy mayo, etc.—that finish the rolls and vary them, so can better differentiate each one.
Typical of a lot of sushi joints, there are some items on Sushi Ichiban’s menu that may elicit an embarrassed giggle. But go ahead and order that Sexy Bomb Roll or Sex on the Beach, followed by a Happy Ending. You know you want to, and no one will judge.
And speaking of happy endings, don’t forget that dessert comes with the AYCE price. Our final tip is to always leave room for that scoop of green tea ice cream or that perfect, cool bite of mochi. That’s how you roll at AYCE sushi.
SUSHI ICHIBAN 520 Fremont St. #150, 702-478-5333. Monday-Thursday, 4-10 p.m.; Friday-Sunday, noon-10 p.m.
