Outstanding Japanese food, for a great price!

September 20, 7:35 PMSeattle Cheap Eats ExaminerD.J. Yasui

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Does Japanese food always include sushi? 

Old world charm with NO sushi!  Ichiban in the International District is in one way still holding on with little or no change to their menu, regardless of how the rest of the world marches forward.  Sushi has been "in" for quite a long time, but here at Ichican, they just say, "NO!" to sushi.  Heck just check the sign in the window!

I luv the fact that one can still find flavors similar to my Aunt's, God rest her soul, cooking, her miso soup was to die for, and here at Ichiban, this is as close to my Aunt's as it gets. 

When the International District was still known as China-town, many of the really great Japanese restaurants could be found in a few block radius from the Panama Hotel, at 6TH and South Main Street. 

While Ichican has changed ownership from when I first stepped in these doors, many years ago as a small child, little has changed.  The interior is simplistic, and my bet is the boothes are originals from the 50's or 60's.  While the menu offers traditional Mom and Pop recipes, the one thing that rings true is the old world flavors from the Mother-land!

The offerings are simple and they are priced extremely well, as Japanese food takes a lot of time to prepare and the freshness of the products are key, which often increases the price.  Here at Ichiban they keep things simple and they keep their prices as such.  The Daily specials are often fresh from the Pike Place market and are seasonal.  My last trip in with my family I enjoyed fresh salmon prepared shioyaki-style.  Shioyaki simply means salt-grilled and it's not so much a recipe as a technique. Basically a salmon fillet is cut into serving-size pieces and they rub it all over with salt. Let sit 30 minutes, then grill. Served with grated daikon and a slice of lemon. That's it.  The key element in making this dish is the freshness of the fish!  And well you guess correctly, that salmon must have been only a few hours old!