Ichifuji – San Diego, CA

My experience with California fine dining has been concentrated in some rather heavyweight markets––San Francisco, Napa and Sonoma, and Los Angeles––where the finest restaurants are increasingly expensive and display a great deal of seriousness, even if the vibe is classic California––warm and welcoming.

San Diego is delightfully different. Yes, it's home to probably the most over-the-top fine dining venue on the west coast, if not the entire country, in three-Michelin-starred Addison, and in recent years has cemented itself as a bona fide fine dining destination in its own right, but the feel of San Diego is magnificently divergent from the tech money of San Francisco, the intense high-end hospitality of Napa and Sonoma, and the glitz and glam of Los Angeles. Instead, even fine dining here feels like you just kicked off your sandals after a day at the beach. There’s an ineffable approachability, ease, and joy that pervades the food scene in San Diego, and it’s a breath of fresh air every time I visit.

Sushi is a particularly excellent example of the delta between the most storied fine-dining markets in the country and San Diego. In New York City, for example, many of the highest-end omakase counters are austere affairs, like temples. There is often little chatter or conviviality, unless you have the misfortune to be seated next to a pair of sushi bros.

Ichifuji, my choice for a sushi omakase on a recent visit, could not be more different. Not only is the sprawling omakase experience a third of the price of an equally excellent sushi dinner in New York or Los Angeles, but it is also infused with nearly endless joy and approachability.

The itamae at Ichifuji––Hiroshi Ichikawa and Masato Fujita––hail from some fantastic sushi omakase counters in San Diego, which might have one of the most impressive sushi scenes in the country––small, but mighty. Michelin-starred Soichi and Tadokoro, both of which Fujita worked at for years, get most of the attention, but Ichifuji is quietly serving some of the best sushi in town.

My last night in the city on this particular visit was reserved for omakase at Ichifuji, and it had been some time since my last transcendental sushi meal! Both of my loyal readers know how much I adore sushi, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to make my way up to Ichifuji’s unassuming façade, tucked in a parking lot just off the freeway in Linda Vista.

Inside, behind the trapezoid-shaped sushi bar were Hiroshi and Masato, greeting each guest with a contagious conviviality that made me feel right at home, and introducing themselves by their first names. The guests around me were also keen to chat and share in the experience together rather than as individual parties, making the meal feel like a dinner party in someone’s home with good friends.

The sake selection is a particular pride and joy of the team at Ichifuji. Every page of their extensive sake list has technical specifications of each bottle accompanied by a lovely and nearly poetic description. I was happy to see a bottling from one of my favorite sake breweries, Masumi, a vibrant and crisp sake perfect for starting my meal.

First out was a selection of opening bites, each more artful than the last. A classic preparation of Shigoku oyster from the west coast was served with ponzu, negi, and pickled daikon radish. Another traditional take on pristine lean bluefin akami tartare was also presented, also with daikon, lifted by the snap of cucumber. More adventurous was hotaru ika––firefly squid––served in a beguiling vanilla miso.

The best bite on the board was a gently tempura-fried kinmedai, one of my favorite fish, wrapped in a delicate shiso leaf and served with a vibrant tempura shishito pepper alongside.

Time for a new sake––Tenryo Koshu, a junmai daiginjo sake with a bit more assertive fruit than is classic, which would prove to be a killer pairing with the sashimi that followed.

Spoiled for choice!

Four selections graced the sashimi plate. Gorgeous slices of bluefin akami from Spain and amberjack were pristine but paled in comparison to a lightly torched sawara––mackerel––served with a traditional condiment of ginger, with the gentle touch of the torch helping to extract some of the oily goodness of the fish.

By far the most beautiful bite was also the most local––spot prawn from San Diego, prepared nearly naked. The sweet flesh of spot prawn will forever be one of my favorite sushi selections.

I appreciate that the team at Ichifuji breaks up their progression of raw fish with prepared bites from the kitchen, helping the meal feel more narrative in quality. Seaweed salad was first, which has always been a forgettable bite for me. However, black cod often appears on sushi omakase slates, and Ichifuji’s iteration was slow-cooked and then lightly charred, served with pickled ginger and negi and crunchy California asparagus, at the peak of the season. But the most surprising and delightful addition were a few goji berries, offering a bright and fruity palate-cleansing bite between samplings of the rich flesh of the cod.

The third sake of the night was probably my favorite––a lovely junmai daiginjo from Kuriyama Shuzo in Hokkaido called Kitano Nishiki Noren Label. Lovely purity here, but with a bit more "oomph" than I'm used to with daiginjo, showing a lovely umami and sweetness of ripe pear.

The first slate of nigiri first offered hirame cured in kelp, with a magnificent, subtle umami from the seaweed to beef up the delicate flesh of the flounder.

Equally remarkable were mackerel served with rice vinegar and pickled seaweed, dusted with sesame, as well as hotate––scallop from Hokkaido––dressed with an aromatic and zesty yuzu kosho, one of my favorite condiments for scallop. The head of the spot prawn which decoratively graced my plate during the sashimi course, now fried and served with ponzu, served as a crunchy intermezzo between raw bites.

The bite of the first set of sashimi was, of course, kinmedai, which was lightly torched, especially along the fatty skin, to allow the natural fats of this particularly marbled piece of shiromi to render, aided in umami by a hint of sea salt and lifted by a shower of yuzu. Unreal.

Chawanmushi broke up the nigiri selections, with the traditional egg custard taking on a decidedly unique bent with the inclusion of a dashi made from the essence of sweet scallop. Bamboo shoot was included in the custard, but didn’t add much beyond a vague textural contrast.

One final sake before resuming nigiri––between two selections suggested by the team, my favorite was a vintage sake from Tamagawa, called "Kinsho" or "Heart of Gold." Another daiginjo but with a remarkable complexity and richness despite being nearly bone-dry. Would prove to be a worthy companion with the richer nigiri bites in the second flight.

The first bite of the next helping of nigiri was the bite of the night, and one of the most inspired pieces of sushi I’ve enjoyed in recent memory. Nigiri of triggerfish, new to me, was served with the fish’s liver and negi as garnish. I could have eaten ten of them.

Skipjack marinated in shoyu and dressed with fried onion provided an umami-rich bite, and torched nodoguro––sea perch––with charcoal salt kept the umami vibes rolling. Chutoro, a particularly lean example, was prepared classically and masterfully to round out a selection of fatty, savory bites.

A side-by-side comparison of mini-temaki made with uni from Hokkaido and also from San Diego was among my favorites of the night and gave me my first look into sea urchin from San Diego (it was delicious, but it wasn’t Hokkaido uni).

Before the progression of final bites, the chefs asked if I wanted more sushi. The only thing they had that wasn’t among the offerings on the omakase slate was an engawa, or fluke wing, nigiri, one of my favorites for its delicate, collagen-heavy flesh.

Tamago closed the nigiri selections, made sweeter by a dollop of Japanese plum, followed by a particularly intense example of clam miso soup and a vibrant dessert of gelato and berries.

Ichifuji was an absolutely delightful choice for a jovial, elevated omakase. San Diego, indeed, might project a casual, sand-on-your-feet vibe, but the food here is just as serious as her larger, more storied neighbors to the north. In particular, it seems San Diego is staking its claim as one of the most important sushi destinations in the States. Ichifuji is certainly contributing to that reputation. I’d encourage anoyone visiting San Diego to pay them a visit––the price is astoundingly reasonable for an omakase of this caliber, and the countenance of the staff makes it one of the most joyful meals I’ve enjoyed in some time.

Back to Monterey!

Go to San Diego. Have an outrageous meal at Addison, if you can (I sure want to!). Get some fantastic tacos at any number of taco joints around town. Get some even better tacos, probably the best fish tacos in the country, at Fish Guts. And then carve out an evening for a sushi omakase like Ichifuji. You won’t be disappointed!