Isshin’s food from scratch keeps them coming back

When she was living in Burnaby, Ikumi Yoda always used to come to Penticton for holidays and had hoped one day she would have a restaurant here.

That dream eventually came true and now, after nearly two decades in the Peach City, she actually has two businesses, Isshin Sushi Bar and Asian Dining on Front Street and Isshin Sushi and Seafood Market in Apple Plaza.

“We’ve had this business for 16 years and we just try to serve the the food that people will come back for,” said Yoda, whose business was chosen as one of the top 10 companies in the Penticton and Wine Country Chamber of Commerce Facebook Favourites contest. “We try to make food from scratch as much as possible but I’m surprised we got the award and happy.”

Their initial restaurant was actually on Main Street but they moved to the current location on Front Street several years ago. They have a dedicated clientele largely in part to the indoor ambience and the work of Japanese chef Kazunori Yoda.

When it comes to the menu, Isshin has almost everything under the sun to tempt its customers.

There are lunch and dinner boxes, and there is even a supreme sushi menu including the special Penticton Ogopogo Roll which includes assorted fish, barbecue eel, clam tako (octopus) avocado and other vegetables.

For the connoisseurs of fine Asian food there’s a unique specialty item available for dinner, the Bibimbap Korean mixed rice which is a combination of Nakuru (cooked and seasoned vegetables, Korean chilli paste, over easy fried eggs and meat on riceserved in a sizzling hot stone and served with green salad).

There is also a happy hour Monday to Wednesday which includes a pitcher of draft beer, an appy calamari or yam sticks with spicy mayo.

Isshin Sushi & Seafood Market opened several years ago offering retail sales as well as sushi.

As a special treat, the public can now buy the original Isshin Japanese dressing perfect for the restaurant’s classic salad: just add baby shrimp to mixed lettuce, for a raw tuna salad use sashimi grade slices, pour over a mix of cold soba (buckwheat) noodles, lettuce, tomato wakame (seaweed) shredded daikon radish and cucumber. Chicken and tofu make this a great dinner as well.

Combining it with tofu, avocado, tomato and lettuce are other options or it can just be poured over rice.

For the more adventurous, there’s Isshin Japanese Spice Sauce.

If you’re bored with regular barbecue sauce this is perfect to use as a marinade to give that little unique Asian taste.

It can also be mixed with mayonnaise to add a kick and a twist to homemade burger, panini and sandwiches or even just as adip for french fries.

Using the produce instead of sauce on a pizza is also a new play on a traditional food.

There are also a kids menu and dessert offerings.

This feature is part of a series in partnership between the Penticton Western News and the Penticton & Wine Country Chamberof Commerce featuring winners of their social media contest.