A-1 Japanese Steak House Offers Sushi And More

Located near the eastern end of the South Mall, the has attracted an enthusiastic following over the past decade.

It’s only a few short steps from the parking lot into this Salisbury Township restaurant; it takes much longer to read the extensive menu. Stopping in for lunch one recent Friday, I vaguely hoped to find something to my taste. I wasn’t disappointed. The choices are nearly overwhelming.

The restaurant’s name promises entrees prepared in the Japanese way, at a table over a hot hibachi by a showman chef. You’ll find several grills surrounded by circles of applauding diners in the front section of the restaurant, but its back rooms are quiet and dim and are a relaxing place for a workday lunch.

I ordered the shrimp teriyaki version of the Bento Box lunch special. The grilled shrimp were very tender and flavorful, served on a bed of limp onions and sweet soy teriyaki sauce. Other compartments of the square box contained steamed rice, fresh fruit and California rolls, bits of crab, avocado and cucumber encased in rice and seaweed. Served with a savory miso soup and an iceberg lettuce salad under a cool orange house dressing, the bento box lunch was a lot of (healthful) food and a good value for $8.25.

I was really hungry when I ordered so I also chose two items from the handwritten list of specials on the wall. I thought they’d each be appetizer-size, but they were large enough to share.

The Rainbow Roll was a foot-long, multicolor chain of rice rolls topped with thin slices of avocado and multi-colored fish (salmon, tuna and yellowtail). The fish was delicate and fresh, and for the price, $9.25, this was an exceptional value.

The Ice Island special really did look like a volcanic island. It was a mound of bits of octopus, crab and seaweed topped with salmon roe, its sides molten with thin slices of avocado slathered with my new favorite condiment, volcano sauce (basically a mixture of mayonnaise and hot sauce and probably some secret, addictive ingredient). The whole Ice Island ($8.95) disappeared very quickly.

My tab (with tax and tip) for a lunch (with leftovers to take home) was $33. Next time I’ll know to order the sushi lunch special ($9.95 for five pieces of sushi with soup and salad) or come with a friend to share a variety of daily specials or a hibachi dinner. In addition to several types of steak, hibachi dinner options include salmon, shrimp, scallops, chicken and more, plus many combinations thereof.

Or I’ll come back to sit at the sushi bar. I’ve been studying: sashimi is thinly sliced raw fish or seafood served with sauces and garnishes; sushi is seasoned rice topped with sliced fish, seafood or other ingredients. Maki refers to sushi rolled in thin sheets of dried seaweed. Options even include cooked items for those who’d rather not eat raw fish.

And there’s that extensive menu to explore: all kinds of tempura and sukiyaki, fried squid or fried oyster appetizers, seafood soups and salads, and Japanese noodle dishes. The A-1 Japanese Steak House (a1japanesesteakhouse.org) is a place to return to.

A1 Japanese Steak House

South Mall

3300 Lehigh St., #320

Allentown, PA  18103

Phone: 610-709-0998

Fax: 610-709-0989

Hours:

Lunch: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Mon.-Sun.

Dinner: 3 p.m.-10 p.m. Sun.-Thurs.; 3 p.m.-11 p.m. Fri.-Sat.