Sakura Ichiban

I had my doubts about this place from the moment my wife suggested it. Something about the name was too generic, too accessible to Westerners, indicating a less than genuine Japanese cuisine experience. This is a glorified Korean steakhouse with Japanese accents hastily applied. They have a pale imitation of the cozy, intimate, eating rooms you see in superior Japanese restaurants. Unlike those restaurants, these are cramped rooms where you can hear the adjacent diners quite clearly. The walls of these dining cells don't even reach the ceiling, which is apparently leaking, judging by the packing tape and placemats attached to it at the back of the shop.

The teriyaki was weak in flavour, they need to take more time marinating the meat. The sushi included in the bento was dull in flavour; probably not very fresh ingredients. Also, no wasabi or shoyu was served with the sushi. The teriyaki sauce itself tasted wrong, like they had substituted or omitted a component. The only part of the dish I enjoyed was the Age Dashi Tofu and its accompanying Tempura sauce. Unfortunately, I found myself too distracted by the loud, vapid, and inappropriate-for-mealtime ramblings coming from the next dining cell to fully enjoy it.

If you don't know Japanese food and you're not picky about presentation, this place might be for you. Anyone who has ever had authentic Japanese cuisine should probably avoid this place, it's disappointing.

Have walked by several time and finally decide to drop in and pick-up something to go instead of ordering in from the usual places. Glad I did. Friendly staff. Everthing ordered was great! Definitely will do again and will make a point to dine in next time.

The Fire Mountain Roll is quite impressive and the Unagi tastes great and is cooked correctly. Frankly, Sahuro Ichiban is some of the best Sushi I've had at any price and that includes several trips to Tokyo.

Great food and great service. Must try.

I liked the atmosphere, we had our own separate room, however the tables and chairs were extremely close togther and we felt crammed.

If you're looking for great sushi in the east end, I would highly recommend Sakura Ichiban. The fish is of the highest quality and melts in your mouth.. The staff are always extremely friendly and take great pride in their work. Sadly its not open on Sundays but is worth stopping into any other day of the week. My boyfriend and I love it!!