I forgot to write about the Ichiban Sushi Bar in Florence when I was on the Oregon Coast and it definitely warrants a post!

This is a restaurant I would not have walked into for sushi without a recommendation since it is a combination ‘Chinese’ and Japanese establishment. But I was in the electronics department of Fred Meyer and overheard the cashier tell the couple ahead of me that they just had to try this restaurant and that only good things were being heard about it.

I headed there the next day for lunch and was greeted like a celebrity. What friendly, happy people work there! The restaurant is new and the decor is fresh and clean.

The server started by telling me the specials, which included tempura rolls and ones with cream cheese. I told the server I don’t like those and he left me to peruse the the huge and extensive menu that includes several combo meals. I decided to go the more expensive à la carte route and ordered cautiously: miso soup, a tempura entrée, and tekka maki (tuna rolls).

The meal started off well with a miso soup that had a drop of soy sauce in it. The broth was very hearty, the seaweed chewy, and the tofu tender. Perfect! Same thing with the tempura, which included broccoli, yams, zucchini, and shrimp; light on the batter and the oil did not taste old. Tekka maki is such a simple roll, but it’s a good one to test how fresh the sushi is and this one was fresh, with the sweet sashimi almost melting in my mouth.

Everything was so good that when the waiter came by to ask me how I was doing I asked for a menu so I could order another roll!

I asked for something with salmon. I was then paid what I consider a compliment; the server said “I know you prefer traditional Japanese rolls [not entirely true since I like spicy tuna and California rolls], but our Oregon roll is very delicious.” At this point, I can’t recall all the ingredients, but I know it included salmon, imitation crab, a bit of mayo, and sesame seeds. I decided to try it and, oh! YUM! It’s definitely not something I would have tried on my own and I am glad I trusted the server. It was savoury and sweet, tender and chewy, basically everything that defines what makes sushi so addictive.

I would have loved to order one more thing, but I was stuffed by this point so I called for the bill. With tip and only water to drink it came to $20. A bit expensive for lunch, but reasonable for going with individual choices instead of a special.

Ichiban is located right on highway 101, on the west side of the road, just a few blocks north of the intersection with highway 126. It’s up from the road a bit and you could definitely park an RV in the lot.