At Ichiban, freshness comes first

By GAIL CIAMPA
Journal Food Editor

• See the menu.

It was a dark, stormy Saturday afternoon. I loaded the car up with raincoats, extra shoes, umbrella and my husband, the ever-enthusiastic diner, and headed to Cranston.

Near Budlong Avenue, a police officer was monitoring the rushing water under a bridge. The radio news reported spot flooding all over the state. I hoped our intended destination, the nearby Ichiban, a new Korean/Japanese restaurant on Gansett Avenue, was dry.

It was safe from the flooding, but located in a utilitarian cement-block building.

"You're taking me to a restaurant in a cement building," the now somewhat-less-enthusiastic -- and greatly spoiled -- husband said to me.

I ignored him and proceeded out of the car and up to a handsome, welcoming wooden door that unleashed exquisite aromas when it opened into a most inviting space.

As I surveyed the walls, neatly sponge-painted in a warm shade of dark rose, I noticed several diners sitting at a sushi bar and two sushi chefs preparing their meals. Above them was a decorative wood slat canopy from which wood carvings of fish and birds were hung. It was quickly apparent that a lot of detail went into making this space comfortable and pleasing to the eye.

Before we were even seated in one of many oversize dark wooden booths, my once-again-enthusiastic husband was talking to a woman at the sushi bar.

"I know what I'm having," he said. "A Kamikaze."

Within seconds, he had seen one of Ichiban's treasures, owner/chef Jim Kim's beautifully executed sushi dishes.

Designer sushi

Kim doesn't so much prepare sushi as design it. He puts equal effort into the seafood blend in a maki roll and to presenting it on a plate like a painting. The "Kamikaze" is one of the season's featured offerings.

But sushi isn't all Ichiban does well. Kim and his co-owner wife Carol, are Korean, and they have brought Korean barbecue to the menu as well as many other dishes including a spicy and satisfying kim chi, pickled cabbage.

In fact, the menu is broken into 14 sections ranging from soups to simple stir fry to Asian restaurant classics to Japanese noodle dishes. Looking at the menu can throw one into a state. Which way to go -- Japanese or Korean? Or do you stick with what's familiar -- chicken and garlic sauce, vegetable pancakes or miso soup.

Our charming server Koolmy was tableside to help. But when my husband saw and smelled the dish headed to the next table, he had his second dish of the day selected. (He was truly committed to the Kamikaze.) A sizzling kalbi marinated beef rib dish had arrived, one of those barbecue specialties.

But I still had to select more dishes. Beyond barbecue and sushi, what should I try, I asked Koolmy. After a few questions, she offered the Yakisoba, a stir-fried noodle with chicken and vegetables. She told me, correctly, that all the noodles are house made, as are the sauces, and I wouldn't be disappointed. She was a fan of the food, that was clear.

I also inquired about trying a Korean wine. As food editor at The Journal, I compile a weekly column of notes about what's new at restaurants. Carol Kim had recently sent along word that Ichiban was now serving imported Korean wines.

Koolmy explained the choices of different rice wines, including a traditional one served in Korean homes. There was also Bek Se Ju, an herb wine made with a dozen different herbs; Chiamisul, a white pure rice wine with a creamy taste and more powerful than sake, with 21 percent alcohol; and a red wine she suggested.

It was Bokbunjajoo, a raspberry brandy with rice neutral spirits that came in a beautiful bottle from Seoul, Korea. She poured it out into a small decanter that had an ice compartment to chill the wine but not dilute it. The presentation was as nice as the original bottle.

The wine was fruity, just a bit sweet, and warming. It was also strong, packing a punch with 15 percent alcohol. It was nice for sipping until the food arrived. (Which wasn't very long.) But with the sushi, chicken and beef, it paired so nicely with the spices. That is, after all, the goal.

Creative bounty

But back to the food.

After our visit, I learned that Jim Kim went to Japan to learn the art of sushi, but not before studying graphic arts in college. He blends his newfound knowledge with his creative side. Dishes are adorned with carrots carved into birds, delicate as paper cranes. But the temptation comes from the main course on the plate.

The Kamikaze, for example, is a maki roll ($10.95) that draws the eye with eight orderly slices. Inside is shrimp tempura, delicately battered, deep-fried, and blended with vinegar rice, cucumber and avocado. On top of each slice is a mixture of shredded bits of tuna in a spicy sauce. The blend of flavors is perfect, the spiciness just enough to satisfy. A bit of wasabi adds the heat.

It's served with housemade soy sauce that is transparent and reddish in color, with just a hint of natural sweetness. A nice pile of pickled ginger, fresh and pink, to cleanse a diner's palate between bites, is also on the plate.

All the sauces are housemade, and that is worth a lot. There's no MSG, and you'll find saltiness nonexistent. Sugar isn't a base for any of them.

The freshness was first apparent with the dipping sauce served with our appetizer of gyoza (pronounced goo-ja) ($5.25), six vegetable-and-pork dumplings. It enhanced the dumplings, which are lightly fried, and stuffed with meat and a touch of garlic.

I also couldn't resist some vegetable tempura ($4.50). Good tempura offers vegetables coated with a batter so thin and light, I can rationalize eating something deep-fried. I wasn't disappointed here. There was an onion ring, broccoli flower and carrot slice on my plate. But especially delicious were the slices of Korean sweet potato hidden under the batter, so full of creaminess that I was glad I found three in my serving.

Korean barbecue

But the best was still yet to come.

The Kalbi ($15.95) Korean barbecue was as delicious as its aroma, with a huge portion of beef sliced off the rib, grilled and served in slices over the bone and served on a sizzling dish, with a side of white rice offered in a lovely silver bowl.

Being so close to the bone, the meat is very flavorful. But I have to think the marinade made the dish. (I learned the secret of the marinade, and it is brilliant. I promised the chef not to share that secret but what you should know is that unlike many marinades, it uses no granulated sugar.)

Both the beef and my yakisoba ($8.95) were notable for their pureness of flavor. The homemade sauces are key to the lightness of the dishes that come out of a Korean/Japanese kitchen. Heavy soy sauces corrupt the flavor by depending on sugar for flavor. But when blended gently with spices, a soy-based sauce comes alive.

The yakisoba, with the bite-size pieces of chicken, thin noodles and variety of vegetables -- including bamboo shoots, button mushrooms, scallions and onions -- was bursting with flavor, yet the sauce was light.

The chef's hand with spices was again evident with another Ichiban specialty, chicken Ganpuagki (pronounced gong-pung-ki) ($11.95 boneless or $14.95 on drumsticks).

It was a sweet and tangy chicken dish, with diced vegetables including peas, carrots and beans making a rainbow of color on top. I didn't know if I liked the moist chicken or the perfect vegetables better, but I know the well-balanced sauce created a dance of flavors.

Neighborhood charm

Ichiban opened this summer, replacing a Chinese restaurant at the site. It's the first venture for the Kims. They seem comfortable in the neighborhood, telling me after the visit that they open at 11 a.m. so they can serve lunch for the teachers at the Hugh B. Bain Middle School across the street.

The room seats 100 and includes a small bar area with flat-screen TV, as well as 10 seats at the sushi bar where diners can watch the chefs prepare their maki rolls. Oversize booths mean families of six could eat comfortably together.

The prices are also quite reasonable. There is a great range of dishes, and many entrees are under $10. Seafood dishes would be more expensive.

The world of Ichiban, which means Number 1 in Japanese, is a happy place. We were checked on often by both Koolmy and Patty, the day's other server. They didn't even look at us funny when we inquired about dessert.

Koolmy suggested mango ice cream with a dollop of whipped cream ($3.50), which was the perfect ending to a delightful meal.

As we prepared to leave and face the ugly outside world, we thanked Patty and Koolmy for directing us through a fine meal with such care. Patty asked how we'd heard of Ichiban.

From a friend, I lied.

"And now, maybe you'll tell another friend?" she asked.

Consider yourselves told.

***

Ichiban, 146 Gansett Ave., Cranston. 432-7220. Casual. Wheelchair accessible. Highchairs. Open Mon-Thu 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Fri-Sat 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sun noon to 10 p.m. AE, DIS, MC, V. Free parking lot. Luncheon specials $6.95-$9.75; Sushi and maki $4.75 to $29.95; appetizers $3 to $8.95; entrees $7.95 to $25.95. Full bar with Korean wines.

***

BILL OF FARE

Bottle of Bokbunjajoo ......$19.95

Vegetable tempura ..........$4.50

Gyoza ......................$5.25

Kalbi beef .................$15.95

Yakisoba ...................$8.95

Mango ice cream ............$3.50

Food and drink total .......$58.10

Tax ........................$4.66

Tip ........................$12.00

Total ......................$74.76

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Ichiban