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The Raw Talent of Fuji of Japan

Fresh, light, and savory tastes characterize the sushi offerings of this eatery.

Last year, I visited Fuji of Japan to meet the new owners and see how this inconspicuous restaurant off of Old Kings Highway North was doing. We had gone for the sizzling hibachi and enjoyed the surf and turf—not to mention the rapid knife skills of our talented grill master.

But being the heat of the summer and all, I had a "cooler" meal in mind recently. It was a great night for sushi, as I had just attended a solid week of food events and could no longer endure another indulgent feast. Fresh, light, clean flavors were what my mind and body needed, and sushi seemed just the thing on this sultry eve.

True to form—and not unlike to our last visit to Fuji—the shrieks and giggles from the many children at the hibachi tables could be heard upon entering the restaurant. I enjoyed the energy and gaiety of the scene, but if you are looking for a quiet or a romantic dinner with your sweetheart, this is not your scene unless you venture in after 9 p.m.

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We plopped ourselves down at the sushi bar where our sushi master instantly greeted us. Unlike other sushi bar set-ups in the area, Fuji spoils its customers with wonderfully plush, high-back leather chairs. We sank into our seats and immediately ordered a seaweed salad to start off with.

Forgoing such popular appetizers ($2-$12) as salted edamame, vegetable tempura, chicken satay, or the pork dumplings, we went with the yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño and ponzu sauce.

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A generous portion of seaweed salad arrives in literally seconds and is served with just enough of a chill to maintain its flavor integrity. Sesame oil and sweet rice wine vinegar, along with a hint of red chili flakes, offers a nice tangy contrast to the slight saltiness of the seaweed. Off to a great start, a large platter arrived next with baby greens and six paper thin slices of yellowtail (Japanese amberjack fish) topped with thick jalapeno slices, and is doused with ponzu sauce. Like the seaweed salad, the white fish was not too cold in temperature, allowing for its mild flavor to shine. It was accented by the heat and crunch of the jalapeno and mellowed out by the citrus-soy of the ponzu sauce. A wonderfully executed dish.

Moving on to more adventurous fare, we perused the various combination rolls and asked the master to steer us in the right direction. "The tuna is the true test of a good sushi place," my dinner companion insisted. Tuna is indeed a staple of such cuisine, so we ordered a few pieces to be served "sushi" style (a slice of fish atop a pillow of sticky, sweet short grain rice) as a opposed to a "roll" (fish and rice wrapped with seaweed) or "sashimi" (the fish sans rice altogether).

The tuna did not disappoint. Fresh and silky, the slices melted in my mouth. I'm not a purist, so I enjoy dipping my sushi into a soy sauce and wasabi bath for some added salt and spice. Taking the spice factor one step further, our sushi master offered us a fiery cream sauce for even more flavor. I hadn't eaten octopus in a while and had forgotten how wonderful this chewy and slightly blanched sea creature tasted sushi style.

I then switched gears slightly away from the rawness of the meal and went for the barbequed eel roll, which was delightful with its crispy skin and sweet "eel sauce" that had hints of garlic and miso. Buttery avocado slices paired well with the sweetness and char of the eel.

Special rolls ($11-$15) are combinations of everything from fish (raw or cooked), vegetables, and fruits to deep fried or sauced-up preparations. Feeling adventurous, we went with the rainbow roll, which starts out as a California roll (rice, avocado, and crab) and is then topped with a rainbow of white tuna, red tuna, yellowtail, and salmon. Slices of avocado sit nestled in between. It's a lot of food, but the lightness and freshness stands out.

The black dragon roll consists of shrimp tempura and asparagus wrapped in rice and topped with barbeque eel, avocado, eel sauce, and tobiko (fish eggs). It too is a generous size, but hard not to finish.

Fuji of Japan doesn't seem to get as much fanfare as some of the other restaurants in town, but it's worth a visit.

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