Fusion with a Japanese flavour

JAPANESE RESTAURANT chain Fuji recently revamped its menu, adding 50 new and healthy dishes that are pleasing to both the eyes and the palate. Inspired by a fusion of different cultures, they include Italian Salmon Carpaccio with balsamic sauce, an East-meets-West hamburger pork steak with side dishes of raw salmon and miso soup, and a delicious mix of stir-fried pork garlic, red chilli, miso and sake that goes by the name Pork Ethnic Yaki.

The 50 new dishes have been selected from about 1,000 plates created by the chain’s chefs to fit with every kitchen station – sashimi, sushi, teppanyaki and hot.

“We’ve been feeding Thais for 33 years now and our menu is constantly evolving. We regularly add new items to keep customers interested. Fuji is a family restaurant so each dish is cooked in such a way that it will please every family member and includes a variety of nutritive items from each of the five food groups. Favourites like grilled saba fish feature in new presentations while maintaining the authentic taste of Japanese cuisine,” says Takashi Tatsumoto, executive adviser to the Chef’s department.

With more than 1,000 chefs working in its kitchens, Fuji now has 100 branches across the country as well as outlets in Vientiane and Yangon. A new branch is expected to open soon in Kuala Lumpur.

“Our menus have to be adapted to meet trends in food and lifestyles,” says chef Praiwan Ponsan. “People today prefer food that’s fresh, light and healthy and because they are always taking photos of their meals to upload to social media, demand attractive presentation and modern tableware. People are also eating more fish so we’ve introduced a variety of fish presented in different ways. And even though many of the dishes are fusion, we always maintain the Japanese touch by including ingredients like miso, shoyu, mirin and sake. 

“In the first year, we stuck to Japanese cuisine’s emphasis on natural tastes but Thais found it just too fad. We then adjusted the tastes to suit the Thai palate by adding more miso, shoyu and Japanese chilli. Thais also love to have different kinds of sauces and prefer to soak their sashimi and sushi in shoyu mixed with wasabi. For sushi, the chefs have to hand-press the rice firmly so it doesn’t break up when it’s dipped in soy sauce.”

Japanese rice is cooked with cheese then deep-fried for the new Age Sushi (Bt80), which comes topped with tuna, avocado and fish roe. Equally delicious is the Salmon Harumaki (Bt140), spring rolls stuffed with salmon and cheese that are deep-fried until goldenbrown and crispy but retain their soft and chewy centre.

“East meets West in the Hamburger Steak (Bt290), a dish of finely chopped pork tender enough to cut with chopsticks. It’s then topped with brown sauce and a fried egg and served with mashed potato, zucchini and carrots and fresh green leaves and shredded cabbage. The set also includes a bowl of rice, salmon sashimi and miso soup,” says Praiwan.

The Spicy Avocado Salad (Bt200) will appeal to anyone who likes his or her food with a kick. Half an avocado is scooped into balls and its shell is used as a serving bowl. It comes with shrimps, sticks of imitation crabmeat, lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes and chopped chilli with a spicy dressing. 

Also spicy is the Pork Ethnic Yaki (Bt160) in which the meat is stir-fried with miso paste, mirin, shoyu and sake as well as Thai red chilli and garlic.

“Our regular customers often tell us they have trouble choosing between kurobuta and salmon teriyaki. We’ve overcome the problem by combining the two in one dish called Kurobuta & Salmon Teriyaki (Bt230),” Praiwan says.

 

 

BIG TASTES

>>Find out more by calling (02) 636 1100 or visit www.Fuji.co.th.