Ichiban Japanese Noodle Café

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 – in the shops now or buy online.

Ichiban's informal approach and reliable cooking make going out for dinner a fuss-free affair. Some West End residents prefer a speedy supper at the relaxed Dumbarton Road branch, while office workers appreciate the city centre's briskness during a tight lunch hour or post-work bite. Kitsch Japanese paraphernalia and flat-screen TVs showing Japanese animé might grab your attention initially, but these fade into the background as food arrives. It's inevitable when sharing benches with strangers to gawp at the more intriguing dishes that are placed on their paper placemats. Despite Ichiban's reputation as a quick stop, the menu offers enough choices to keep you grazing for a while after your tablemates have waved 'sayonara'. Button mushrooms wrapped in marinated strips of sirloin steak are rich and fulfilling. A bento box allows you to sample a variety of specialities such as fresh sushi rolls with sharp pickled ginger, crunchy pork and prawn gyoza dumplings and mixed tempura pieces in bubbles of crisp batter. Big helpings of ramen, soba or udon noodles entwine in bowls of spicy broth; alternatively they may be stir-fried with chicken, beef, seafood or vegetables. The absence of desserts might disappoint some, but a sweet plum wine suffices.

• High point: Generous order of squid for under five quid
• Low point: No puddings