Ichizen Perfects the Art of Cooking Tofu

I discovered at the suggestion of a Poway businessman and I was far from disappointed when I followed through with his suggestion the very same day.

That's right—I take my vegetarian adventures so seriously that I visit suggested places the same day.

And, you know, it was a slow news day and I ended up dining there for a good three hours in the middle of a "work day" after yoga and before a massage.

(I love the flexibility of my reporter schedule).

And, just like the man suggested, I ordered the vegetarian bento box.

The vegetarian bento box comes with tempura, fried tofu, veggies, a cucumber roll and white rice.

"Wow," I said to my dining companion after trying the tofu.

For any wannabe Iron Chefs like me, you'll know that cooking tofu properly is a difficult task and, honestly, it's something I've yet to be able to do successfully. So, when I had Ichizen's tofu—which was better than any tofu I've ever had in my 26 years of existence—I was happily astonished. Even my dining companion, who doesn't like tofu, said it was the best he's had, even though he still doesn't like tofu (do you follow?)

While the tofu was arresting, the other sides were comparable to most other Japanese sushi restaurants.

Although Ichizen has a fast-food set up where you order your food at the register, the service is comparable to any fine-dining restaurant.

After ordering our food, we sat down outside as the employee immediately rushed to our side to clean our table. After serving us our meals, she frequently checked up on us to ensure our satisfaction.

Delicious tofu on top of great service means I'm going back.

'nuff said.

Vegetarian-friendliness on a scale of 1-10: 9. If they up the ante on the tempura, they'll qualify for a 10 though.