Ichika

We went there for my girlfriend birthday. The food looked beautiful and lovely. The staffs were nice and responsive. The ambient environment was great and sushi preparation in a visible area made a connection between the chef, customers, and food possibly. Overall we had a good experience and a wonderful night there and highly recommend this tiny and lovely restaurant.

A warm retreat with a delicious delivery.

Overall
I had a great experience, the staff was very inviting and communicative from even before the dinner. The meal was pleasant and service on-point. Ambience set the mood and the dishes were always anticipated.

Take Note
This place only takes reservations which, we had to pay $35 per person online, and this fee was not deducted from the total bill.

Service
The staff here welcomed us and provided an attentive but not overly interruptive service. Hot teas were refilled often and our refreshments topped off whenever asked. The server was a little higher energy than expected in the environment, but had a very pleasant and charming attitude. We had emailed in advance to try to substitute beef where possible (and this was followed for the most part, minute one course) and that it was for a special occasion. It seemed the beef substitution made it through in communication but the special event did not as we were asked twice at the restaurant.

Venue
The restaurant features very warm and dark walls with modern fixtures. Careful touch was out into the design and presentation of the restaurant. The booths in the back allowed for a little more intimate scene, but they also had a couple of tables toward the front and a couple of settings at the sushi bar that wasn't in use. They ensured not to overfil the restaurant with guests and we felt perfectly comfortable even during the pandemic to be sat and enjoy a meal. The outside is unassuming, we had to double-check we got the right location to find this hidden gem. There is one restroom for guests that contains self-cleaning bidet and facilities were clean.

Food
The overall presentation of each piece was Instagram-worthy, they came out on a semi-even cadence, and most guests were served their courses around the same time. Some of the items were very one note, but none of the pieces were anything less than delicious. The appetizer had an interesting choice of combination of textures with a raw fish and what tasted like rice balls, mangos, and avocado. They could've down without the rice balls as this added too much chewiness to the appetizer. The following courses featured other raw and cooked fish as well as American Wagyu Beef. As the menu changes, the experience will be differ, but this Prix fixe menu hosted 8 courses. One of the courses the Wagyu Beef couldn't be substituted and we were offered twice the ability to remove the item and recieve a discount off the final bill. However, we feel they could've just added a second otoro or uni, we still opted for keeping the item. The frothed soy sauce that they served for our raw fish enhanced the flavors but could be overbearing if you accidentally dipped too much, but I would say was a star of the meal as it was very tempting to just drink. I'm ok in admitting that! Final comments on the food was we felt that the amount of food was a little lacking for an experience such as this. Previous menus had offered 10 courses, and I feel they could've continued that or had at least one more course where an additional plate was offered before the soup and dessert. They did include a cake with a candle to celebrate the birthday at the end!

Final Note
This restaurant is one that you should experience if you're in East or South Bay. Get a reservation in advance to ensure you have a seat and, if you arrive a little early like we did, you'll get to choose where you'd like to sit. The final price was well over $135 per person and I would say it was worth it, though would've been nice if there was a 9th course, that would've given the experience a full 5 stars. I would still rate this as an experience you should have if you enjoy Japanese cuisine or sushi.

Came here a week ago for make-up Valentine's day dinner. I have been waiting for high-end omakase restaurant at the south bay for a long time. Finally, I don't have to drive out to SF for high-end omakase. Would most definitely come back for spring meal.

Environment
Modern and clean. Good classy setup for omakase style restaurant while approachable enough where I don't feel like I have to dress up for this place.

Food
Overall happy with the food selection, styling and quality. For sub $200, I felt that I got my money worth of food. A few earlier dishes seems to be just average in terms of taste and execution, I'll give the chef bonus pts for trying to mix western style with traditional Japanese food. Wouldn't mind seeing more exploration type/mix style later in the menu. The rest of the sushi & set dishes are solid and good quality. While nothing scream at me as amazing, there were unique items and experience which I haven't seen before.

Service
Attentive and polite. Servers were knowledgeable about each dishes and pay close attention to our needs. Throughout the evening, they easily came around 20+ time to fill my cup without me saying a word. Dishes came out at a good pace even when there were only one sushi chef prepping for 20+ people. Great experience overall.

The food is both beautiful and delicious. Owner is friendly and accommodating. The experience well exceeded my expectation and definitely worth it