Ichika — Restaurant in Milpitas

A warm retreat with a delicious delivery.

Overall I had a great experience, the staff was very inviting and communicative from even before the dinner. The meal was pleasant and service on-point. Ambience set the mood and the dishes were always anticipated.

Take Note This place only takes reservations which, we had to pay $35 per person online, and this fee was not deducted from the total bill.

Service The staff here welcomed us and provided an attentive but not overly interruptive service. Hot teas were refilled often and our refreshments topped off whenever asked. The server was a little higher energy than expected in the environment, but had a very pleasant and charming attitude. We had emailed in advance to try to substitute beef where possible (and this was followed for the most part, minute one course) and that it was for a special occasion. It seemed the beef substitution made it through in communication but the special event did not as we were asked twice at the restaurant.

Venue The restaurant features very warm and dark walls with modern fixtures. Careful touch was put into the design and presentation of the restaurant. The booths in the back allowed for a little more intimate scene, but they also had a couple of tables toward the front and a couple of settings at the sushi bar that wasn't in use. They ensured not to overfill the restaurant with guests and we felt perfectly comfortable even during the pandemic to be sat and enjoy a meal. The outside is unassuming, we had to double-check that we went to the right location to find this hidden gem. There is one restroom for guests that contains self-cleaning bidet and facilities were clean.

Food The overall presentation of each piece was Instagram-worthy, they came out on a semi-even cadence, and most guests were served their courses around the same time. Some of the items were very one-note, but none of the pieces were anything less than delicious. The appetizer had an interesting choice of combination of textures with a raw fish and what tasted like rice balls, mangos, and avocado. They could've done without the rice balls as this added too much chewiness to the appetizer. The following courses featured other raw and cooked fish as well as American Wagyu Beef. As the menu changes, the experience will be differ, but this Prix fixe menu hosted 8 courses. One of the courses the Wagyu Beef couldn't be substituted and we were offered twice the ability to remove the item and recieve a discount off the final bill. However, we feel they could've just added a second otoro or uni, we still opted for keeping the item. The frothed soy sauce that they served for our raw fish enhanced the flavors but could be overbearing if you accidentally dipped too much, but I would say was a star of the meal as it was very tempting to just drink. I'm ok in admitting that! Final comments on the food was we felt that the amount of food was a little lacking for an experience such as this. Previous menus had offered 10 courses, and I feel they could've continued that or had at least one more course where an additional plate was offered before the soup and dessert. They did include a cake with a candle to celebrate the birthday at the end!

Final Note This restaurant is one that you should experience if you're in East or South Bay. Get a reservation in advance to ensure you have a seat and, if you arrive a little early like we did, you'll get to choose where you'd like to sit. The final price was well over $135 per person and I would say it was worth it, though would've been nice if there was a 9th course, that would've given the experience a full 5 stars. I would still rate this as an experience you should have if you enjoy Japanese...

Ideally, I'd give Ichika a 3.5/5.

Ichika in Milpitas offers a unique take on Kaiseki, a multi-course Japanese fine dining experience. The restaurant itself boasts a beautiful ambiance, with a mix of modern and traditional elements. Booths and sunken seating provide a great setting for groups, while natural materials and handcrafted furniture create a modern and sophisticated atmosphere.

The service at Ichika was excellent. The staff was attentive and friendly, and the chef himself was happy to chat and answer questions. However, the omakase experience itself had some hits and misses.

For a fixed price of $148 per person, the menu offers a seasonal selection of dishes. Our omakase experience included -

Sakizuke: This was a solid start. It included 4 appetizers - abalone sweet shrimp, and hotate gobo (burdock root) seaweed and crab. All four appetizers, including the standout sweet shrimp and hotate (scallop), were fresh and delicious.

Tsukuri (sashimi): The sashimi course featured four different types of fish, showcasing the quality of the ingredients. These 4 fishes were - Kanpachi Hotate Kurodai Akami (bluefin tuna) The hotate (sweet and delicious) and the bluefin tuna were the highlights of this course.

Reisei Chawanmushi (cold steamed egg custard): Unfortunately, this dish fell flat. The custard itself lacked flavor, and while the foamy sauce helped a bit, it wasn't enough to save it.

Nigiri (6 pieces of premium cuts): The first round of nigiri included 3 interesting pieces - Hirame (flounder) with truffle salt was a unique twist The Shima aji (stripejack) with ginger was a classic combination. Iwana (Arctic char from Iceland)

Hirame and Iwana were my favorites from this nigiri round.

The second round of nigir also included 3 pieces of premium cuts of fish - Kinmedai (golden eye snapper) Soy cured fatty tuna Hokkaido uni with slamon roe

The fatty tuna was buttery and soft (melt-in-your-mouth texture), and the Hokkaido uni with salmon roe was a perfect combination of sweet and salty. These 2 nigiri pieces definitely offered the rich flavors you expect in a high-end omakase.

However, a heads up for those sensitive to wasabi - all the nigiri came quite generous with it. You can definitely request the chef to go lighter on the wasabi.

Agemono (tempura): Both the pickled tempura and sweet potato in this course were a bit bland. A sprinkle of salt or a more flavorful dipping sauce would have been a welcome improvement.

Ankake (fish in broth): This savory dish with white fish in a dashi broth was a comforting addition to the meal.

Monaka (caviar and otoro): Outside of the nigiri pieces, this dish was the star of the show! The combination of caviar and melt-in-your-mouth otoro (fatty tuna belly) on a crisp wafer was a delicious burst of salty and creamy.

Suimono (soup): The shrimp ball, mochi (rice cake), and sakura (cherry blossom) in this 7soup were a nice way to cleanse the palate before dessert. Though, as with other dishes, this dish lacked salt, too.

Dessert (hojicha ice cream): The hojicha ice cream itself was good, but it lacked sweetness on its own. The provided honey black syrup helped, but overall, the dessert felt a bit underwhelming.

In conclusion, Ichika offers a beautiful ambiance, friendly service, and a good variety of dishes in their omakase menu. However, some courses could benefit from stronger flavors and more creative execution. For the price point, I would rate it a 3-star experience. I wish they included more nigiri pieces in their...

I was looking for omakase when I was visiting home for a week. I wasn’t able to snag a reservation for spots I wanted to go to and I didn’t want to drive up to SF. I noticed this new omakase experience and the website looked really elegant, so I booked seats for 2. You have to put down a $35/person deposit per person, which makes sense since there’s limited capacity and they lose out on a lot if people are no-shows. You’re paying a price for a personalized experience and quality food.

Just a note: this is a bit of a less traditional experience since they plate multiple nigiri and some other courses come out bigger rather than as smaller bites you have at other omakase places. All of the fish we had was fresh. The night we went, they worked A5 wagyu into 2 courses. I really liked the A5 wagyu chawanmushi (wasn’t expecting it in chawanmushi…it’s usually a plain steamed egg). My partner liked the A5 wagyu nigiri too. The fun part was the edible spoon that came with our mango cake.

The courses change, so don’t expect the same items. Overall, the $158 price is pretty standard for omakase in the Bay Area. The ambiance and service were great. We sat at the bar since I wanted to see the chef make the pieces, but we couldn’t see too much. Watching the chef make the nigiri is my favorite part, but oh well. They also have tables for...