Anna S.
Yelp
This was the 2nd restaurant I've visited for Houston Restaurant Week, so we received four meal courses for dinner ($39). But frankly, we went ham on ordering appetizers because we were worried the portions wouldn't be filling (since it was omakase style) ... I tend to overestimate my appetite, too. While our food was tasty, I didn't find many of them to be standouts either.
My HRW orders:
- (1st course) Spicy Tuna w/ Crispy Rice: (4/5) They might have gone a little heavy-handed with the sauces, so borderline sweet/salty, but delicious nonetheless.
- (1st course) Teriyaki Chicken Wings: (3/5) Technically, my friend ordered this, and I tried it. It had a good crispy texture, but nothing outstanding either.
- (2nd course) Yuzu Miso Salmon Crudo: (3/5) one of their more popular Crudos, but I wasn't a fan of it. I'm unsure if it was the yuzu or miso flavor that was off-putting.
- (2nd course) Sesame Snapper Crudo: (5/5) I WISH I HAD ORDERED THIS. My server recommended it, but I wasn't sure how I felt about it because he described the texture as sticky. However, when my friend let me try a piece, it was love at first bite. The sesame taste was present, but not overpowering; "sticky" was not something that came to mind as I was munching.
- (3rd course) Spicy Tuna Cut Roll: (3/5) It was a simple roll with a spicy kick, but rather plain overall.
- (4th course) Sesame Mochi Ice Cream: (5/5)
Our à la Carte orders included:
- Oyster Half Shell: (4/5)
- Appetizer Sampler: (2/5) I have quite a bit to say about the appetizer sampler... They switch it up often, but they provided my group and me seaweed salad, raw octopus with a wasabi flavor, and liver from a certain seafood (I don't recall which one). The seaweed salad was fine, but I did not enjoy the raw octopus since I can't stand the taste of wasabi, nor did I enjoy the liver, which has a boiled egg texture.
- Agedashi Tofu: (4/5)
- Veggie Tempura: (5/5)
- Takoyaki Mentai Mayo: (4/5) This tasted like any other Takoyaki, but I think I was tapped out by this point, haha.
- Tempura French Fry Truffle: (5/5)
Service was very friendly and there was attention to quality in all our orders, but some dishes weren't to my taste. Since this is a pricier restaurant, I wouldn't come often, but I'm glad HRW allowed me to give Ichijiku a chance. :)