Ichidai is Kenji s favorite sushi joint in Portland. The clientele seem to be very knowledgeable of sushi. What I like about this restaurant is that it is one of the few places that I get to speak just Japanese. Although the majority of the clientele are American, the wait staff and chefs are Japanese, and I appreciate that. Some folks sitting next to us at the sushi bar looked at Kenji s plate and wanted to know what it was so that they could order it next time.
Sushi houses are all about relationships.
In Japan, there are sushi bars in most neighborhoods. They have all been there as long as anyone can remember. The neighbors know the sushi chef and people are very loyal to them. The owner operates all these small establishments with one assistant. The assistant normally comes to work at a very young age after compulsory school.