Ichiban Sushi

Probably the last time I will ever go there.

It began as a large group of my relatives wanting to go there because it was a casual Japanese eatery that doubled as a karaoke joint in the evening. Let's just say we tend to gravitate to the mic very often.

It was my first time and they made it exciting for me to want to go. On top of it being my birthday, we just had to celebrate it somewhere! So we go in and the atmosphere was nice. The lighting, the booths, the TV, the food and drink selection made me appreciate the place. Our orders were placed and we were quickly served by our waitress.

We were having a good time, I would say! What made me weary was that the owner that came out and announced that after a certain time, we'd have to leave if we were under 21 or couldn't show proof of ID. In my head I thought, "Fair enough, I don't have a problem with that."

Long story short, the time came and the owner quickly checked our ID's. Low and behold, I didn't have mine (Facepalm moment). I thought it would be okay since we had minors and I looked old enough and didn't order drinks. Guess what? The owners were pretty rude about it, telling me that they will report me if I didn't leave. Are you serious? We had a lengthy conversation with them and eventually we were all pretty worked up about the situation because they were really adamant in me leaving.

After not getting anywhere with them, we just left and called it a night. I could understand the legalities if law enforcement was involved, but if minors are allowed to stay after a certain time, and I had no need to order alcohol, then I'm pretty sure I would be able to! Thank you, but you just lost any future business with us!

Side note: The extra star was for the karaoke, by the way.

Ichiban Sushi is one mixed up restaurant.  They can't decide if they are a sushi joint, a Korean BBQ restaurant, or a dim sum place.  We were pretty perplexed by the signs and various menus, but decided to give it a try, mainly because they had a TV and we really needed to watch the Giants playoff game.  When you're in the sticks out in Eleele, you take a TV where you can find it.

After perusing the sushi menu and checking out the fish in the cooler on the counter, we went with the dim sum, mostly because the fish looked less then ideal, especially compared with all the amazing fish we had been eating all week.  

They had several types available, including har gow, shu mai, pork buns, chicken buns, some sort of crescent shaped thingie that was stuffed with delicious ground pork and chives, and lo mai gai.  It was pricey - I think everything was a buck, but freshly made, piping hot and much better than we expected in this funky little place in a shopping mall.

Communication can be a problem since the people who work there don't speak much English, but just point and nod and smile and you can figure it out together.  A good choice for quick lunch or snack.

Awful service, cleanliness is questionable, food is sub-par, no one on staff the day I visited spoke English, and ordered items were missed.