If you're looking for a quick and fulfilling Japanese experience during your short lunch break, Ichiban Express is the place to visit. Located inside one of Lebanon's finest malls, Ichiban Express serves a wide choice of Japanese rolls at affordable price.
My friends and I decided to try Le Mall's Sushi restaurant located just next to Roadster Diner on the ground floor. Ichiban Express is a simple yet beautifully decorated place for a casual quick meal in the heart of a shopping center's busy ambiance. Burgundy colors, white wood tables, a green grass space is all you need to enjoy a fast casual Japanese experience. As a fan and a regular at Ichiban (Zalka), choosing from the menu was not a big issue for me. Just mark the place-mat with your desired order and it will be delivered to your table in less than 20 minutes.
We took the open sushi formula: Pay attention to read the rules carefully:
- $28 open sushi a la carte including crazy salad from sushi to Gunkan
- Starred items are 5,000L.L extra per order
- Sashimi's are not included in the open sushi
- All left overs or remaining of any piece will be charged 3,000L.L each
- Any sharing or tasting will be charged as open sushi
- Extra Ginger 3,900L.L each
The menu sections:
- Starters and salad (8 choices)
- Sashimi (8 pieces)
- Sushi (9 pieces)
- Hoso Maki (8 pieces)
- Ura maki (35 possibilities)
- Temaki (5 pieces)
- Gunkan (3 pieces)
- Sushi platters (maki bites, mix set, salmon set, special set, 40 pcs, boat)
- Dessert
- Drinks
- Extras (ginger, soya)
We ordered one order of each:
- California sesame 6250 (avocado, cucumber, crab)
- Crazy California 6900 (cucumber, avocado, crab, crazy topping)
- Crazy special 6900 (crazy, tobico, avocado)
- Crispy shrimp 6500 (shrimp, crispy)
- Philadelphia 8250 (salmon, Philadelphia, tobico)
- Naked 8250 (salmon, avocado, tobico)
- Volcano 8250 (tobico, volcano mix)
- Roasted salmon 11900 (Scottish roasted smoked salmon, orange, naked rice)
- Salmon skin 4750 (salmon skin, crispy)
- Crispy salmon 7750 (salmon, avocado, crispy)
- Exotic salmon 11900 (smoked salmon, Philadelphia cheese, litchi, ikura)
- Crispy eel & shrimp 8250 (eel, shrimp, crispy)
- Eel California 8250 (eel, crab, avocado)
- Salmon belt 8250 (salmon, crazy, avocado)
- Alaska 8250 (shrimp, avocado, crazy)
- Crunchy salmon 8500 (crazy, avocado, salmon, sauce)
- Special eel 8500 (avocado, eel, crazy)
- Spicy extreme 7250
- Special ikura 11900 (ikura, salmon)
- Maguro mixed 8900 (tuna, avocado, crazy)
- Spicy salmon 8900 (mixed salmon, crazy, avocado)
- Phila salmon 8900 (Philadelphia cheese, black sesame, salmon, avocado)
- Green belt 8250 (avocado wrap, crazy, avocado)
- Butter fish maki 8900 (Butter fish, crazy, avocado)
- Sweet duo 9900 (crazy, avocado, shrimp, salmon, mango)
The details I like:
- Thick beige wooden tables fixed by stainless steel supports
- Ashtrays without cigarette support
- Black and red plastic transparent chairs
- A fountain in the middle separating the restaurant from Roadster Diner
- The wrapping bar/kitchen
- The way you write on the place-mat before detaching it and giving it to the waiter
- They propose the open sushi a la carte for $28 all week. It's worth it
The minuses:
- Ichiban's rolls are heavy. Do not order more than you can handle. Remember that you are going back to work afterwards
- The teriyaki sauce used with salmon skin is way too sweet. It blocked my appetite. Its recipe has to be changed immediately
The needed changes:
- The last part of the menu where extras are being paid for is pathetic. Please! 2000L.L for ginger or soya sauce? LOL
- For God's sake, stop using those cheap, low quality, disgusting green nylon grass-like separators. Lebanese have had enough of them.
I liked this place and I liked its concept in a mall. Will pass by again from time to time.
