Ichiban is right next door a considerably more elegant Japanese restaurant where people stand in the entry waiting for their table. At Ichiban, there’s no wait. It’s a dumpy little diner of a place with vinyl booths, formica tables, and a small menu. I had the udon – a bowl of soup with fat noodles and a few pieces of tempura. Kevin had some kind of fish fillet with rice. I can’t remember what it was called.
The service is fine and the food is totally acceptable – nothing special, but nothing exceptional either. Ichiban is particulary cheap, 8 dollars for an entree, 4 for a beer. With more stylish places nearby, Ichiban doesn’t really warrant a second visit. It’s fine if you don’t want to wait, but you can do better. Next, please?
Ichiban is 601 S Main Street, on block north of Jackson at 6th.
Just a few doors up from Ichiban is the Panama Hotel, where we went to get a cup of tea after dinner. The Tea House is nothing short of gorgeous with high ceilings and polished wood floors and old photos of Seattle’s International District. There’s a thick slab of glass on the floor towards the back of the mail salon where you can look in to the basement and see the remnants of the Japanese bathhouse – and trunks and personal items left behind by Japanese families during the shameful time of internment camps. There’s an extensive selection of teas and you’re served up in style. It’s easy to imagine frittering away a rainy afternoon reading the Sunday paper or updating your blog using their free wi-fi. I’ll be taking everyone who comes to visit Seattle to the Panama Hotel when we go to the I-District.
The Tea House is at 607 S. Main.