About two years ago Ichiza Kitchen opened in the Goose Hollow neighborhood, providing something completely unique – Buddhist monk cuisine. No alcohol is served, and everything is non-GMO and vegan – any “meat” listed is faux. The seating is small and feels like an intimate hole in the wall- only about 25 or so people, in four-tops, although there are some picnic benches outside as well. Dishes come all at once as per the name Ichiza, which means “one setting” , a reference to the zen principle of stopping to contemplate one’s path.
The best plan of action is to order lots of small “dim sum” like bites and a couple larger dishes to share. For small snacks to combine, look for the Chili Oil Wontons (wontons filled with vegan ‘pork belly and beef’ in a mixture of house chili oil, garlic, sesame oil, and garnished with cilantro and chive), the Shumai (‘money bag’ dumplings filled with vegan ‘shrimp’ and ‘pork’, dressed with a ginger and green onion sauce), and the Ba Wan Buns. We tried the steamed and grilled turnip cakes with shiitake mushroom dipping sauce too which you can see with the chili oil wontons, but I would not order them a second time personally as I found them dry on my visit. I wish we had ordered the Cheong Fun rice noodles or Kimchee Gyoza instead.
