ICHI Sushi

So, it's been a while since I posted about a new sushi restaurant in San Francisco, primarily because I really only want to support businesses that are only using sustainably caught fish. And ICHI claims to be one, so I had to go investigate.

The owner/chef used to work at Tokyo Go-Go, which I wasn't a big fan of. They seemed to cater to the lowest common sushi denominator by offering fat rolls full of mayonnaise and spicy sauces that didn't honor the flavor of the fish. Their best draw was the happy hour cocktails. Which is completely their prerogative, I'm just not going to eat there. So when I heard that he came from there, I was skeptical. And then I read some positive reviews that mentioned all of his catering experience. But what most caught my attention was his (and his wife's) positive impact on the community. That showed me they were a business that cared about who they worked with, and I hoped that those kinds of values carried over into their recognition of their role in the food cycle.

Sure enough, they are careful and intentional about where they get their fish and how it has been caught. Though the website doesn't trumpet this aspect as much as I think they should, our server was on top of it, naming the source of our sushi and giving us more information about line vs net caught fish.

And it was good. I expected the menu to reflect a changing variety of fish (like Umi does) but instead they had a set list and would tell patrons in advance if something was not available. The nigiri we had were wild hamachi and shima aji, both with lovely textures and great flavors. The kona kama was cooked perfectly and super tasty. We had simple rolls of albacore avocado (our favorite), futomaki, and oshinko (I know, not fish--whatevs). The server instructed us not to add soy sauce for a few of them as the chef had seasoned them properly already.

The $50 bill for two of us was not cheap, and that included a comped beer for moving seats to accommodate a larger party, but I would consider it worth the price and the friendly service. When you go, take advantage of their knowledge and splurge a bit more on the sustainable fish.

Itadakimasu!