Hot Fish and Cold Sake

I was at a restaurant the other night named Ichi-ban, meaning number one in Japanese. This extravagent almost whole in the wall place, with an internal decor that is belied by it's simple exterior, is both Japanese and Korean. The owner/chef is Korean, James "Jim" Kim, and I find so much of the food to be Korean, I feel like they throw in the word Japanese because of the sushi, but I always thought that the Korean's were eating raw fish before the Japanese.

Any way, a large ice cold sake with shredded cucumber and a bowl of homemade noodles in an extra spicy seafood and vegtable rich broth really makes me want this chef to come to RISD and show us the intricacy of his country's cuisine. I think the real appeal are all the little amuse bouche that they bring to intrigue the palate before you get your entree. Fried anchovies with a slightly sweet sauce (sweet and salty, nice), kimchee (hot, but more pungent), pickled shredded daikon radish (nice and clean tasting) and julienned vegetables with fishcake. All of these work in unison to get you ready for the most amazing unsung cuisine from Asia. This chef is definitely on my list to WOW the students with his cuisine.