Ottawa Foodies

Not as affordably priced as Genji for lunch, but still some of the best sushi I've had in Ottawa.
Very fresh, high quality fish.

The inside of the restaurant is comfortable and intimate -- nice for a date -- with charming decor and kind staff.

I love this place too! It has the best Japanese in Ottawa that I've discovered so far.

Ichibei has long been a favourite of ours, and Caroline being sansei Japanese, she has pretty high standards.

And since the discussion has raised the question, ZenKitchen also carries Umeshu, as well as mugi- and imo- shochu.

Well Pam, from what I can see, Umeshu is Umeshu, but there's bottles with and bottles without the plums in them. I like the ones with plums. I don't know if there's a terminology difference.

(There's one other place that has umeshu rokku, but it's not on the menu, only for the staff. Who have occasionally given me some. I go there way too often. :))

Thanks to Pam, I went back to Ichibei for sushi tonight.

Small Rolls:

Ume-kyu - marinated plums and cucumber. Oh my. Oh my. This was an amazing mix of flavours that just made my brain sing. Not for everyone, but man oh man, if it is, wow.

Negitoro - sweet onion and tuna belly. Unctuous texture, yummy-fatty. Excellent with the rice.

Sashimi:

Suzuki - Sea bass, with a nice but not overly-large piece of wasabi keeping it to the rice. it gave a kick yet also enhanced the flavour of the bass, the texture wonderful, and the portion generous - trailing to the bottom of the rice on both sides.

Unagi - traditional eel, well-cooked, probably too much sauce for many. Maybe next time I'll ask for nearly no sauce, it didn't seem to need any. (They make a spicy salmon roll topped with unagi that's big and looks wonderful. Next time!)

Sashimi:

Tai - Red snapper, not the least bit chewy, feels quite fresh in the mouth, cool but no trace of ice cold or crystals (to my admittedly amateur mouth). The tiniest drop of soja sauce brings out the flavour really well.

Saba - Mackerel, with skin, and oh, a tiny couple of traces of wasabi along with the bits of onion sprinkled on it makes it delicious. Less mouth-melting, the firmer texture made a great contrast with the Tai.

Total cost with tea: $43. Expensive, and I didn't eat my fill, but it's more than enough for a meal, healthy and nutritious, and pretty darn nice quality.

Oh, the cold saké is either the bland Hakutsuru junmai ginjo, or a ginjo that's non-junmai - i.e. has brewer's alcohol added at the end. Not worth my $15.

Hey Niall! Awesome! I was actually going to add umeshu as a connection :D What is the difference between plum wine and umeshu?

I introduced my dining companions to it last week - they were huge fans as well. Umeshu rokku was my drink of choice in Tokyo this January and I was so happy to find a place in Ottawa that has it!

Your mention made me go again this past Monday, Pam. :) I had been there years ago, and I can't tell what may have changed, but not much.

The tempuras are okay, reasonably light but not thin. Didn't feel greasy.

I had a few nigiris - definitely nice, maybe a touch more rice than I had hoped, but it all depends on the chef - and Mondays may not have the best chef on, for understandable reasons. The octopus nigiri was uncooked and a little larger than other places, including some of the first rings - very, um, chewy. Not bad, just chewy. :)

I had the Ichibei Special, with salmon and other pieces (I forget) which were quite nice. I felt I had a tasty meal that wasn't heavy but still filled me up.

They do serve a wonderful umeshu (and the waitress seemed impressed I asked if it was regular plum wine or actual umeshu - then again, I might be mistaken in umeshu types, with and without the plums in the bottle) for a reasonable price, which complements the meal most nicely. No cold sakés listed, maybe it's a different menu, or you have to ask/know.

Decor is quite charming, music unobtrusive, it really is stepping far away from Bank street for a little while.

A touch expensive still, but I may sample more sushi. I don't know if they do o-makase (though I think I've had this at another place in town thanks to another foodie), nor do I think I'm quite ready for it, but maybe someday...

Pam: Hartman sushi?? That's the very definition of desperation. :)

Ichibei Kamikaze roll. Best roll I've ever had, EVER.

This place needs to be discovered. I like it better than Genji and Wasabi.

Went back the other night - I can't believe how close this place has been to me all along btw!

This is the "platter" we got of miscellaneous sashimi/sushi. Those "sweet shrimp" are delicious but I don't think I'll order them again. The eyes were a little much for me (you rip their heads off before eating them).

Amazing sushi - I just got back from two weeks in Japan and it's ALMOST - ALMOST as good as the sushi I had there. Definitely the best sushi in Ottawa.

Someone mentioned the decorations are tacky - that's actually the way real sushi restaurants in Japan are decorated. I felt like I was back in Tokyo.

Confuseus say (to Pam) usually best nor found afar but right under nose

Here's a sushi plate from Ichibei. My favourites are unagi (BBQ eel), mackerel (saba) and tuna (maguro maybe?).

More Ichibei sushi. God this makes me hungry!

A sampling of sushi from Ichibei, again from 2001.

Natto are fermented soy beans. They are essentially half decomposed by bacteria! They are coated with a slippery, cheesy, stringy sauce. They don't smell very good at first whiff. But they are an acquired taste, so if you keep trying them, you, too, will eventually grow to love natto. I know a person who loves them so much, he maintains a natto stash in his freezer! This natto is from Ichibei, and it comes with tuna, which is a very nice combination.

Here's some delicious sukiyaki from Ichibei. It's served with a raw egg that you crack at the table in a little bowl. It's for coating the sukiyaki pieces. Then you eat the egg-coated morsels with a bowl of white rice. At first I was hesitant to eat raw egg, but it's the authentic way, and you just got to live dangerously sometimes!

Oh, and that's my sake-containing Tanuki (Japanese raccoon) posing with the food.

Here are Ichibei's Japanese pickled vegetables. The pink ones are cucumber, the purple ones are eggplant and the yellow pickle is of daikon, a member of the radish family that looks like a giant, white carrot. As usual, my little tanuki is presiding over my delicious appetizer.