Hidden Gem

Ikkyu is a tiny Japanese fast-casual place that doesn’t seem to be
getting the attention it deserves.

Although Ikkyu is located at one of the busiest northwest-side
intersections, it is almost invisible; part of that has to do with it
being tucked behind a gas station and a brightly lit Mexican joint. The
windows are darkened, and it’s hard to tell if the place is open as you
drive up. There is one small “open” sign, but more needs to be done to
bring attention to the place.

Things are a little different once you enter. The room is small and
sleek; a few Japanese knickknacks and pictures adorn the wall. Heavy
wooden tables and chairs, along with a somewhat-open kitchen, create a
modern feel. The music selection runs from Frank Sinatra to classic
rock ‘n’ roll.

The counter service is fast-casual and friendly. Oddly, tipping is
not allowed.

This is home-style Japanese food that includes an assortment of
donburi bowls, noodle dishes and, of course, sushi. Sushi offerings
include some usual suspects—a California roll ($4.58), a Philly
roll ($5.90) and the like—while the house rolls are interesting
and flavorful. One winner is the Ikkyu roll ($5.60), which could be
described as a seafood platter in a roll. There’s spicy tuna,
crabstick, squid salad and avocado, all wrapped together and then
drizzled with unagi sauce. All those flavors come together nicely; eel
sauce always adds another layer of flavor.

Two other goodies are the ninja roll ($6.20) and the shrimp tempura
roll ($5.90). The ninja roll is similar to the Ikkyu roll, minus the
squid salad but plus some crunch from a sprinkling of tempura batter.
It also includes a drizzle of the same unagi sauce. The shrimp tempura
roll offers all the tastes and textures that make sushi so much fun to
eat. Crispy, smooth, warm, cool and sweet (from a mayo sauce), this
roll was our favorite.

The size of the rolls is a bit of an enigma, though. With the
exception of the spicy (but relatively plain) tuna roll ($5.15), all of
the rolls we sampled were enormous. This is good because you get more
bang for your buck, but it’s not so good because it’s impossible to pop
a whole slice in one’s mouth.

If you’re with a group and can’t agree on what to order, opt for the
set for three: You’ll get six pieces of a banzai roll (hot, spicy crab
stick), six pieces of spicy tuna, five pieces of inari (sushi rice in
tofu pockets) and pickled daikon radish. With all that come three bowls
of miso soup and squid salad. Total cost? $21.50.

Donburi (rice bowls) run the gamut. They can be served with brown
rice for a mere 25 cents more. The best is the akima ($5.70), a spicy
pork dish with a nice kick of ginger. Another ginger/pork dish is
appropriately called ginger pork ($5.70). Here, the sauce is darker and
deeper, and the meat pieces are smaller and crispier.

The beef sukiyaki ($5.70) holds a healthy portion of thin, tender
slices of beef, tossed with veggies, tofu and sukiyaki noodles; it’s a
vast improvement over that ugly, Americanized dish served in homes
across the country back in the day.

Rich soy-sauce-marinated beef was the center point for the yakiniku
($5.70). The dish was tasty, but not quite so much as the sukiyaki.

Sides include squid salad ($3.80), seaweed salad ($2.79), edamame
($1.30), miso soup ($1.30) and cold tofu ($3.93).

My next visit will be on a Friday or Saturday. That’s when Hiro
makes his hot ramen (miso $6.95, shoyo $6.45 and tonkatsu $6.95). We
may not have frosty evenings that call for bowls of hot ramen, but this
could be the cure to a long day’s grind.

Ikkyu does have a few kinks to work out, but I urge all you folks on
the northwest side to get to Ikkyu. Pop in for a quick lunch, or bring
dinner home to your hungry crew. Finding fresh, flavorful, healthy food
at such amazing prices is a mighty good thing these days.

This article appears in Nov 19-25, 2009.