Ichiban Japanese & Korean — Restaurant in Hartford

Hi,

The first time I had Sushi was when I was only twelve (47 years ago). There was only one sushi restaurant in NYC at the time--I recall that it was named (EDO). I was hooked on my 3rd visit there with my dad who ate there daily. It was a wonderful place to eat. A cultural experience. My father's office was only 2 blocks away from another great eatery--a Korean restaurant in NYC named OO LE OOK. I spelled it as best I could. I think it was named after a city in Korea. Absolutely, wonderful food. It was in business for decades and unfortunately, burned down in a fire. They had "in table" grilles which may have caused this tragic accident. The thing about OO LE OOK was that they also served very traditional Japanese sushi. The best of both food worlds.

While driving around Hartford one night, my daughter and I were hunting for some sushi. I saw Ichiban which had a sign proclaiming both Japanese and Korean foods. Jack pot! I also noticed that there were only 3 cars in the parking lot including mine. Not a great omen.

My 10 year old daughter travels with her own chopsticks so she takes her food seriously as well. The menu offered all kinds of both Japanese and Korean dishes including my favorite... Bulgogi. I thought it was priced high and was told the meat came from the Kalbi ribs. They stripped it from the ribs. That was the first time I have ever heard of that dish being made in such a way. I skipped it and ordered what was a very popular and traditional dish at most sushi places "the Sushi Boat for Two." What came to my table was a beat up party favor that sort of resembled a boat. When I looked down into it, I saw a California roll (wowee) and Avocado roll (double wowee) a couple of peices of eel and some unrecognizable fish sushi. Nothing was wrapped properly in seaweed. The amount of food was anemic and it wasn't that good as far as taste. No presentation what so ever. No shaved cucumber or carrot design--nothing. It was if someone threw the food on "Das Boot." When I complained that it wasn't really worth the 36.00, the waitress yelled at me that we should have ordered the 50.00 version! "What you expect?" she said. We ate the food, paid the bill and left. Never to return. We were still starving so we went to the Hibachi Grill on Kane and Prospect. The all you can eat sushi was far better than the Ichiban boat. Let me repeat. IT'S ALL YOU CAN EAT! For less than 22.00, we ate to our heart's content. All kinds of rolls including hand rolls, seaweed salad, baby octopus salad, eel sushi, good quality tuna and salmon sushi and so much more. Worth every penny. Is Shogun in Glastonbury still around. Good...

This was the worst service experience I have ever had at a restaurant. Ever.

I took my family here for Valentine's Day dinner and made 7pm reservations. We arrived five minutes early and made ourselves known to be present to the hostess. We waited quietly. A family showed up with the same number in their party, four, with no reservations. They were seated. Another showed up and the same thing, they were seated. A third showed up and they did the same, with no reservations. Another family we were waiting with lost patience and left; they did not have reservations. We finally said something to the hostess. After one more family was about to be seated, we approached her and then we did get a table, finally, in the back corner near the kitchen. What was different about us? All the other families being seated were Asian, we were not. Neither was the family that got fed up and left (it was funny watching the husband yelling at the wife not to make a big stink and just leave).

After waiting fifteen minutes, our waitress finally came over to ask for drinks. Another fifteen minutes and she came back and took our order. The first round of food came out and they got it wrong and missed a salad for someone. OK, that happens sometimes. No big deal. 20 minutes later, we get appetizers, and they were good. 20 minutes after that, entrees come out, but they are missing my wife's meal. The waitress is nowhere to be found and we can find her. So, we ask another waitress to help. She was apologetic and then tried to track down the entree. 15 minutes late, with no entree yet (a Bento box, btw, which doesn't take long to prepare), my wife asks to cancel her meal and the check so we could leave. THEN, they bring out her meal before the check with a mild apology.

We ask for the check again and to go containers. They bring me the check and they only list three entrees. Kudos, they picked up the missing meal as they should have. I hand over my card, 10 minutes later they bring the check for me to sign. It is $20 more than the one I handed over. They added back the missing entree.... Balls. They have balls.

Needless to say, the tip was far from generous.

Stay away from this place. Discrimination does not deserve anyone's business. No excuse. We were quiet, not rude or demanding in any way. We just wanted a good meal. At least the company was awesome, so we found the silver lining for the evening. Oh, and I got to review them here and call out discriminatory and shady behavior....

Again, stay away. There are many better options...

I have been dining at Ichiban since they opened in their previous location downtown in the early 90's. I've gotten to know the owners and waitstaff through the years, and vice-versa, so my experience with the restaurant is far from objective. With that disclaimer, I'll try to be neutral.

As other reviewers have commented, the Korean cuisine is more interesting, and executed more faithfully, than the Japanese. The former is interesting, diverse, and highly seasoned, and the latter, while good, is best described as competent. Highlights of the Japanese side include tempura (light, crisp, clean flavor), shumai (delicately assembled and seasoned dumplings), and any of the udon dishes (hearty noodle soup on a cold day). Standouts of the Korean fare include any of the spicy stir-fry dishes (octopus and squid particularly), the geegae dishes (some of which are blast-furnace hot), and the bibimbab. The banchan (side dishes) are homemade and it's always a challenge to guess what tidbits will arrive with your order.

As to the sushi, the fish is usually very fresh and high-quality, but the preparation and presentation are highly dependent on how busy they are and who is doing the work. I don't know the names of their current line sushi chefs, but occasionally Sam (one of the owners) will get behind the counter. Although he's mostly occupied with management these days, Sam has traditional sushi training and several decades experience. If he prepares your order and he's feeling creative, you're in for a treat. His Korean interpretations offer extraordinary variations on the usual themes.

Service: overwhelmingly the wait staff is quick, efficient, and eager to please. One reviewer had trouble with a waitress; I know the woman in question well, and all I can say is that she must've been having a really, really bad night, because most days she works harder and out-hustles everyone else on the floor.

Once again, I have to confess that I'm a "regular" here, and they treat me as such, so your mileage may vary... but I like the place a whole lot. This has been my go-to restaurant for Asian comfort food for...