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(September 23, 2004)
One thing you can find a lot of in North Austin these days is Japanese
Tepanyaki restaurants, where grilling is the key. But a newcomer to
the fray, Fujiyama, has, in my humble opinion, not only raised the bar
but stolen the show. Fujiyama is on Jollyville across from Brick Oven
at the site of the former Kyoto II. Tepanyaki has gained popularity
in the U.S., partly because of its healthier approach to cooking, and
partly because of the show put on by the cooks at the grill.
At Fujiyama, the grilled seafood, beef, and vegetables
are eminently tasty and the cooks do a nice job of putting on the requisite
performance that's part of the fun of Tepanyaki dining.
On my last visit, we tried a number of items as
we always do. The Udon Tempura soup delivered what it was supposed to:
terrific flavor along with those al dente udon noodles. And I must tell
you, the fried rice, made right in front of your eyes, was a blast.
You're supposed to nurse the rice, which comes out first, until your
entrees are ready but it was so tasty I just rocketed ahead. We also
tried the shrimp and vegetable tempuras as appetizers along with a very
moist and flavorful chicken yakitori (chicken on a skewer). All stood
up to the taste test.
And our tepan cook then produced the tastiest scallops I've ever tried
in this style of cooking. Tepan grilling, in the hands of the unskilled,
can produce food that, while it may be fresh, can also be fairly dry
and overcooked. Not so at Fujiyama. The scallops, coated in a light
batter of flour and spices, were tender, perfectly cooked, and laden
with flavor. The same can be said for the lobster. The various tastes
that make lobster so special remained in tact after the grilling. And
it was melt in your mouth enjoyment. While I usually don't order steak
when doing Tepanyaki, the filet mignon looked so good that I couldn't
resist. It turned out to be a good choice. The beef was moist with a
light and mellow flavor. And, of course, the accompanying vegetables
were crisp and colorful, as they should be.
The bounty that awaits the diner at Fujiyama is
by no means limited to Tepanyaki. A full Sushi menu prepared by Chef
Nat runs the gamut from nigiri sushi, (maguro, toro, hamachi, to the
stronger tastes of uni and saba, or sea urchin and mackrel) to the wonderful
and creative rolls like the Spider Roll (soft shell crabs, cucumbers,
avocado, smelt roe, and eel sauce) and the rocking Caterpillar Roll
(eels, cucumbers, yamagobo, and avocado along with eel sauce). For purists,
there is fresh sashimi as well and it's all good.
Fujiyama is open for lunch and dinner in a tastefully
decorated and inviting environment. This is one Tepanyaki restaurant
that you can come back to often, even when you've seen all the fulminating
onion volcanoes and the other grill tricks the cooks can do. And that's
because the food, show notwithstanding, is worth the trip.
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