Shige Japanese Cuisine, Downtown Boise

Rating:
Don't let Shige Japanese Cuisine's shabby appearance fool you-- this is great Japanese food. Period.

Located on the 2nd floor of a building at the corner of 8th and Main St., the place had a rundown and worn-out feel to it. I wouldn't come here for a first date (unless my date's a foodie) because the atmosphere is not the least bit romantic. The ambience was more of "eat! eat!".

I was surprised that the place was packed for a slow Tuesday night. We even had to wait about 20 minutes to be seated. I should've asked for the menu while we waited outside because there were definitely a lot of choices and it took our party of six some time to decide.

If you're into spicy food, try the Firecracker and the Volcano sushi-- an interesting twist to the traditional roll. My main course was the Scallops and Chicken which I washed down with chilled sake. (It was my first time to drink sake and they served it in a short, square shaped wooden cup lined with salt-- it felt very authentic. hehehe)

Three of my colleagues ordered and shared (but didn't finish) the Boat which was (surprise surprise) a wooden boat with assorted food! Different kinds of sushi, sashimi, tempura and skewered meat.

Four pawikan points for this excellent Japanese resto-- plus points for the presentation of the dishes and the awesome boat!