Ichi Bowl

Chances are by now you’ve seen “The Oatmeal,” the website of clever comics and quizzes known for imparting such arcane knowledge as “How Long Could You Survive Chained to a Bunk Bed with a Velociraptor?” If you haven't, subscribe via your RSS reader. One of the zanier Oatmeal stories is “The Teriyaki Date.” There’s not much point to it other than drunken debauchery, so don’t expect any great revelations and don’t share it with the kids or the easily offended. Nevertheless, the title might make one wonder where to go on a more meaningful “teriyaki date” here in Phoenix.

The website’s creator, Matthew Inman, lives in Seattle, a city known for teriyaki joints on every corner and its own distinctive approach to the Japanese-inspired cooking method. In Phoenix, teriyaki is not quite as plentiful, but there is some definite quality here among local purveyors. One of the best, yet least known, teriyaki places in Central Phoenix is Ichi Bowl, a small shop in a modest strip mall on 19th Avenue. It’s located just south of Colter and about a quarter mile north of the 19th Avenue / Camelback light rail station.

The restaurant is tidy, casual, and pleasant, even if the small sushi bar, no longer in use, appears a sign of ambitions abandoned or unrealized. Instead, there’s a counter for ordering and plenty of seating with natural light. Instrumental music comes in over the speakers, but it’s usually a cut above typical smooth jazz. This is not a place with fawning service, but the staff bring food out to tables rather than calling out numbers from the counter, and the proprietors are happy to answer questions about their menu.

The most obvious choice on that menu is the restaurant’s namesake dish. The ichi bowl is a meal-in-a-bowl combination of teriyaki chicken, vegetables, and rice. Ichi Bowl’s teriyaki is straightforward, in the best possible sense of the word. It’s exactly the mix of sweet and salty, via sugar and soy sauce, that one expects chicken meat to be marinated in prior to grilling. Chicken is definitely the default protein source here, although there are some fish items in keeping with the Japanese tradition of preparing seafood with the familiar teriyaki glaze.

For the indecisive or the hungry, the bento box is an efficient way to sample a variety of food in generous quantity. There’s the same mix of chicken, rice, and vegetables as found in the ichi bowl, along with a small but meaty egg roll, two average California rolls (Are California rolls ever all that special?), a handful of edamame, a little salad, and some unexpectedly spicy sukiyaki beef. Outside the bento, there’s also kalbi and bulgogi on the menu for customers who prefer beef over chicken or fish.

If a break from teriyaki is needed, Ichi Bowl also makes a typical Japanese curry bowl. That means a sauce derived from a roux made with curry powder. The result is brown rather than red or green and flavorful without discernible heat. The thick sauce is full of chicken, potatoes, and carrots and a hearty meal when paired with the slightly sticky white rice served at the restaurant. Other chicken preparations include katsu, a breaded cutlet, and oyako, which combines chicken and egg, a logical pairing, even if it is uncommon in Western food traditions.

Yes, Ichi Bowl does noodles, and they’re pretty good. A generous bowl of yakisoba nearly overflows with the same teriyaki chicken found in the rice bowls, along with an abundance of vegetables. The udon is serviceable although not as stellar. It’s a nice presentation with both both chicken meat and a tempura cake, but the broth is scant and might use a bit more depth of flavor. Augment it with a bit of shichimi togarashi, Japanese red pepper powder, or gomashio, black sesame seed condiment. As at most teriyaki places, both are found at each table.

Drinks here are all about the soda fountain, which is stocked with Pepsi products, although there are also three types of iced tea -- traditional, green, and tropical -- worth exploring. There’s some dessert on the menu, too, although items like cheesecake and carrot cake don’t seem like natural choices in the context of Japanese fast food. Another option is to load up on appetizers like shumai, which are relatively light, or gyoza, fried and heavier, if seeking nourishment beyond the already substantial rice and noodle bowls at Ichi Bowl.

Ichi Bowl endures with a basic, no-frills mission. There have been some discontinued experiments such as Korean tacos along the way, but the restaurant keeps on serving its signature teriyaki chicken to appreciative customers who have discovered the restaurant. The author of "The Oatmeal" now has a forthcoming book and a series of upcoming appearances, so his website appears to be more than just a fad. Likewise, let’s hope we’ll be able to enjoy our own “teriyaki dates” (although maybe a more successful and wholesome version than Inman’s) at Ichi Bowl for a while to come.

5130 N. 19th Ave., Phoenix AZ 85015
Map
(602) 841-2202
http://www.ichibowl.com