Ichiban Boshi
#02-14 Esplanade Mall
6423 1151

Dinner was with Betty and Elaine, both of whom I haven’t seen for too long. We decided to walk to Esplanade Mall outlet even though there’s an Ichiban Boshi at Suntec City. I’m so glad we did that because the ambience of this outlet is much nicer and we requested for the very comfortable cushioned booth.




The Unagi Sandwich ($5.30++) is my favourite even though it’s so simple! Cooked BBQ eel is sandwiched between two pieces of tomago egg and wrapped with seaweed.

I like the contrast of the savory eel and sweet egg. This would have been perfect without the mayonnaise in it!

Chuka Ildako ($1.90++) is basically cooked and seasoned mini octopus sushi. This is one of Betty’s favourite. Personally, I don’t like octopus because they tend to be rubbery and chewy.

Salmon Tataki ($6.90++) is an interesting dish. The slices of salmon are half-grilled and served with a house special sauce. It takes technique to grill a perfect salmon where the entire outer layer is nicely cooked while the inner part is still raw.

The texture is smooth enough and the sauce adds a nice savory flavor that does not overwhelm the freshness of the fish.

Salmon Cheese Sushi ($1.90++) is like salmon sushi, except that there’s also chilli tomato sauce, spring onion and of course, topped by a small piece of cheese. I didn’t try but Betty said it’s fresh and good.

Another favourite of Betty’s is the California Roll ($1.90++). She always orders this every time I eat Japanese food with her. The sushi comprises of avocado, cucumber, shrimp roe, crab stick, egg and mayonnaise. California Roll was developed for Americans. They put the rice on the outside so that Americans wouldn't be freaked out by the texture of the toppings, which became fillings.

Elaine’s Unagi Handroll ($1.90++) looks like any other ordinary handrolls. The BBQ eel, cucumber, sweet sauce and sesame seeds are wrapped neatly in a piece of seaweed.

I like the Inari Vegetable Roll ($1.90++) which is quite interesting. The rice, sweetened gourd, avocado, cucumber and sesame seeds are wrapped in a sweet beancurd skin and nicely tied with a piece of pickles. The sweetness of the sushi is just nice and the vegetables give it a crunchy bite.

I’ve got a craving for soft shell crab and ordered the Soft Shell Crab Tempura ($5.30++).

Share this with a friend because the portion is quite large. I like the batter which is very light and crispy. The tempura is also not very oily and the crab is meaty enough.

The Mochi ($1.90++) has a peanut filling. It’s quite nice!

The glutinous rice covering is soft and not too sticky while the crushed peanuts are fragrant and crunchy. This popular Japanese rice cake gives a sweet ending to our meal.

Service was efficient even though the restaurant was quite packed. The waiting time for our food to be delivered was also quite short. Japanese food is the only Asian cuisine I really like and it is also the only time when I don’t mind eating rice in sushi.

Ichiban Boshi serves rather good quality Japanese fare at reasonable price. Given a choice between Ichiban Boshi and the popular Sakae Sushi, I think I would choose the former.

Labels: Japanese

7:25 PM