Ichiban - Mount Lookout Square

Hit up Ichiban last night for some half price sushi (Friday and Saturday after 9pm, maybe other times too).

The atmosphere is very cool.  Open sushi bar spanning one full end of the restaurant with sushi chefs hard at work.  There are funky booths on one side of the large dining rooms and some neat tables on the other end that make it feel like you are sitting below the ground level on a short table.  The general feel was swanky and hip.  Given that we were there late, it almost seemed as if this was the destination event for the night for most people.  Very cool.

The half price deal is great, but it is a limited menu.  Unlike some of the other new sushi places in town (like Mr. Sushi, Green Papaya, etc) this limited menu did not have lots of crazy rolls.  They have a few, but even the ones they have don't seem as flamboyant as I have seen recently.

We ordered a selection of their rolls and some pieces of nigiri sushi.  We had a dynamite roll (which is the first heated sushi roll I have every heard of), a spider roll, and a regular tuna roll.  Ordered a couple nigiri pieces each of salmon, tuna, scallop, and sea urchin.  Overall, the sushi was good but not great.  The heated dynamite roll just seemed a bit strange, and the tuna and spider rolls were good, but I have had better.  The nigiri was good except for the sea urchin.  It was the worst piece of sea urchin I have ever had, and I was a bit worried about my stomach after eating it.  Luckily there were no repercussions and we had a great night.

The cocktail list was inventive and enticing.  My wife ordered a mango and rum cocktail which sounded great, but as often happens, it was way too sweet and did not taste fresh like its description.  I had the cold sake which was nice.

The total bill (including drinks and tips) was $50 for the two of us.  Pretty good deal on half price sushi night, but I wouldn't have been happy if that number was closer to $75 during regular price time.

Overall, we had a very nice time.  The atmosphere trumped the average sushi, and the service was great too.  If you are looking for some late night sushi in Mount Lookout Square, it is definitely worth checking out.  Great spot for a date too.

http://www.ichibancinci.com/