Right across from the Ala Moana shopping center, is a gem shared by two names -- Tempura Ichika and Sushi Ichika. The restaurant itself gives quite a high-end atmosphere filled with bright light and I believe a maple bar, with very authentic Japanese design. For the sushi portion of the restaurant, you'll be walked to your seat on the left side of the restaurant at a 6-seater bar. From there, your experience will begin with some simple appetizers and sashimi. We were served tea for free, as well as some soft drinks that we ordered in tall glasses. Tea was refilled very frequently showing great attentiveness -- a few times the tea even got cold in my cup and was replaced by hot tea. The appetizers I was served included mozuku--served with a bit of vinegar for a bright sort of sipping 'noodle' experience, kombu kazunoko -- light flavor little bit of a satisfying crunchy pop, and hotaru ika topped with sumiso ae all on top of a bed of cucumber and seaweed. Sweet, umami, very nice. Sashimi included chutoro and tai(?) -- bite sized and very tasty. Following the appetizer we were served a chip made of Nama-shirasu-- very crisp and light in flavor, almost a sort of drinking snack. For the Nigiri course: it started with nodoguro with sea salt and yuzu zest. Very delicious, not too fatty, for akamutsu. Following, came Spanish mackerel, with ginger topping. The ginger really helps mask the natural fishiness of mackerel. Then came Hokkaido hotate - surprisingly not that sweet, but very good texture. Zuke akami with yuzu -- the yuzu was very strong in flavor, marination was quite light. Then Hawaiian shrimp -- light snap with a sweet and smooth texture. Following the shrimp came another kitchen hot dish -- miso glazed butterfish topped with hajikami. Nice sweet glaze and the young ginger shoot with a light pickling gives good balance of hearty and acid. Next came salmon, slightly cooked around the edges -- gave good and interesting texture compared to the usual silky/slimy. Next came the kegani nigiri with uni. Very sweet, delicious. One of my favorites of the night. Following the crab, came the ikura topped with seaweed, yuzu zest, and wasabi. Tasty, not too strong in flavor. Next came the chawanmushi -- the best dish of the night in my opinion; filled with mochi, anago, ginkgo nut, oyster, and more. Delicious. Hot. The last bites included uni hand roll -- soooo buttery and sweet, my favorite uni I've had on the trip so far. Lastly was otoro using a special sumibiyaki style/technique of utilizing binchotan to sear the top. This gave it a sort of crispy texture on top, allowing some of the fat to melt away as well. Lastly was unagi with a little bit of sansho pepper on top. Tamagoyaki and miso soup to finish the meal. Yuzu sorbet for dessert. Very fresh, tasty, refreshing. read more