I was a little skeptical as I drove up to Ichiban Sichuan because when I looked into the window I didn't see anyone inside. As I walked into the restaurant (because I trust Yelper's reviews), the other half of the restaurant was packed.
We were promptly seated and given glasses of water along with a set of menus. After going over the vast menu, we decided on a mapo tofu, spicy dried intestines, and spicy fish hotpot with mushrooms.
All three dishes were out on the table within 10 minutes. I've never been to a restaurant where the food is served piping hot in a matter of minutes. All three dishes were delicious. The food wasn't too spicy, but it had a great flavor. The mapo tofu was served piping hot with tons of meat and spicy sauce. The fish hot pot was not too spicy but had a nice kick to it. There was plenty of fish along with a good portion of enoki mushrooms and bean sprouts. The dried intestines was a little disappointing. The flavor was good, but it wasn't as crispy as I expected. Overall the flavor of the food was excellent, but on the greasy side. So, if you don't have a iron stomach, you might want to only get one spicy dish.
I definitely will be back one more time before I leave Madison. Thanks again Ichiban Sichuan for the delicious meal!!!