Dining ~ Ichiban ~ Cranston
Ichiban
146 Gansett Ave.
Cranston, Rhode Island
(401) 432-7220
Our first experience at Ichiban was when a server nearly bowled us over as she came barrelling out of the restaurant to chase down a couple of women who had forgotten their leftovers. It gave us a hint about the service that was right on target.
Very shortly after we were seated, we were presented with an array of appetizers.
Our server was happy to name and explain each one for us. Since I'm not very knowledgeable about Japanese or Korean food, it was very helpful. From left to right, you see fish cake, black beans, kimchi and pickled cucumber.
Not being a fan of fish, I didn't expect to care for the fish cakes, but we all really liked them. They were served cold, and were firm, not falling apart as they sometimes do. The black beans were a bit sweet, and al dente. It was our first experience with kimchi. Bear found it too spicy, and C doesn't care for cabbage. I thought it was okay, kind of earthy and not as spicy as I'd expected, which was a win for me. The pickled cucumber was spicy but sweet, and very fresh - like a fresh-made pickle with a bite to it. It may have been my favorite of the offerings.
For our appetizer we ordered shumai, agedashi tofu and edamame.
The shumai was sweet, with a salty dipping sauce. Bear and I both thought it was good.
The agedashi tofu came with a creamy sauce that was surprisingly delicate. C, who is an afficionado, declared it good. She liked that the sauce was served on the side and allowed her to soak the tofu. She rated it 8 out of 10.
We ordered hot tea, which looked pale and tasted weak and earthy to us. It smelled vaguely of rice. When we asked the server about it, she explained that it was barley tea, which immediately made more sense. We did enjoy it, once we stopped expecting it to taste like black tea.
Our entrees arrived after much dithering on my part, and a lot of help from our waitress, who recommended a couple of dishes for the Korean food newbie.
Bear likes sushi, and was delighted with his choice of California Sunshine: crab and avocado sushi with strawberries, kiwi and sweet orange sauce over it. He said the ingredients were very fresh, and the presentation was nice. He was so enthusiastic he said it was a dish he'd order all the time.
Even so, he showed a lot of interest in C's dinner, spider roll and spicy tuna. C particularly liked the spider roll. The spicy tuna's sauce was different from what she was used to, and it took her a bit to adapt, but she ended up enjoying that as well.
I tried the bulgogi, which is a kind of Korean barbecued beef. It has a sweetish sauce that's more of an au jus than the traditional thick sauce I normally think of. It came mixed with carrots, broccoli and scallions. All of us tried it and we all thought it was very good.
Did I mention the service was fantastic? That extends to when I left my camera there for a week and a half, and they had it there waiting for me when I finally realized where I'd left it.
146 Gansett Ave.
Cranston, Rhode Island
(401) 432-7220
Our first experience at Ichiban was when a server nearly bowled us over as she came barrelling out of the restaurant to chase down a couple of women who had forgotten their leftovers. It gave us a hint about the service that was right on target.
Very shortly after we were seated, we were presented with an array of appetizers.
Our server was happy to name and explain each one for us. Since I'm not very knowledgeable about Japanese or Korean food, it was very helpful. From left to right, you see fish cake, black beans, kimchi and pickled cucumber.
Not being a fan of fish, I didn't expect to care for the fish cakes, but we all really liked them. They were served cold, and were firm, not falling apart as they sometimes do. The black beans were a bit sweet, and al dente. It was our first experience with kimchi. Bear found it too spicy, and C doesn't care for cabbage. I thought it was okay, kind of earthy and not as spicy as I'd expected, which was a win for me. The pickled cucumber was spicy but sweet, and very fresh - like a fresh-made pickle with a bite to it. It may have been my favorite of the offerings.
For our appetizer we ordered shumai, agedashi tofu and edamame.
The shumai was sweet, with a salty dipping sauce. Bear and I both thought it was good.
The agedashi tofu came with a creamy sauce that was surprisingly delicate. C, who is an afficionado, declared it good. She liked that the sauce was served on the side and allowed her to soak the tofu. She rated it 8 out of 10.
We ordered hot tea, which looked pale and tasted weak and earthy to us. It smelled vaguely of rice. When we asked the server about it, she explained that it was barley tea, which immediately made more sense. We did enjoy it, once we stopped expecting it to taste like black tea.
Our entrees arrived after much dithering on my part, and a lot of help from our waitress, who recommended a couple of dishes for the Korean food newbie.
Bear likes sushi, and was delighted with his choice of California Sunshine: crab and avocado sushi with strawberries, kiwi and sweet orange sauce over it. He said the ingredients were very fresh, and the presentation was nice. He was so enthusiastic he said it was a dish he'd order all the time.
Even so, he showed a lot of interest in C's dinner, spider roll and spicy tuna. C particularly liked the spider roll. The spicy tuna's sauce was different from what she was used to, and it took her a bit to adapt, but she ended up enjoying that as well.
I tried the bulgogi, which is a kind of Korean barbecued beef. It has a sweetish sauce that's more of an au jus than the traditional thick sauce I normally think of. It came mixed with carrots, broccoli and scallions. All of us tried it and we all thought it was very good.
Did I mention the service was fantastic? That extends to when I left my camera there for a week and a half, and they had it there waiting for me when I finally realized where I'd left it.
You should try out Sura on Westminster in Providence (originally in Johnston) if you enjoyed Korean. Also, Mama Kims food truck is a great Korean, both for traditional and more unique offerings.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jason! Both are definitely on our list.
ReplyDelete