Fuji Sushi

I like sushi, but I will admit that it isn't for everyone.  It takes some taste adaptation and you have to get past the fact that much of the fish is raw.  This is not the case for all sushi and you can, in fact, have a great sushi meal where you have no raw fish (or fish in general) at all.  Most people that have come to like sushi though, have gotten past the fact that many of their choices are going to be with raw fish.  In Midland, there have been places that have served maki rolls for years, but it has only been recently that a sushi restaurant, Fuji Sushi, has opened up.  I have, for years, tried to convince my family that sushi was good, but when the only examples that they have had experience with have been mediocre maki, it's a really hard sell.  My youngest sister is very open to new culinary experiences despite the fact that she thought that she disliked sushi.  One of her friends convinced her to come with her to Fuji Sushi where she discovered that she did like sushi.  She prefers maki (rolls) to nigiri (raw fish with rice) or sashimi (raw fish), but it is a start.  Knowing that I like sushi, she invited me out with a friend, her husband, and my parents.  From the outside, it doesn't look like much, occupying a store front in a small strip mall.  Inside, it really isn't that much more impressive with white walls with a cherry blossom tree design near the rear of the dining room.  There are booths on one side and tables occupying the rest of the space.  The sushi bar is in the back of the dining room on the right side.  The menu has a pretty good list of maki with the usual suspects showing up on the sashimi and nigiri lists (the usual suspects being a lot of tuna, salmon, shrimp, octopus, and eel).  They also had a variety of appetizers and non-sushi items for those that are yet averse to sushi.  I started things out with a standard appetizer found at many sushi restaurants, Spicy Tuna Tartare.  It was served with a spicy sauce and topped with Tobiko (Flying Fish Roe) which, while salty, is more used for texture than flavoring.  The presentation was nice as were the flavor and texture and the tobiko provided a nice crunchy contrast.  The fish tasted very fresh which tells me that they have a good supply chain which is especially important for inland sushi restaurants.

For my main course, I went with the Sushi Deluxe plate which featured 10 pieces of assorted nigiri and a tuna roll.  The choices made for the plate were made by the sushi chef which I actually prefer because he knows what is best on any given day.  The fish was presented in a line on top of a coconut leaf.  In front of it was a shrimp and the tuna roll.  Wasabi and pickled ginger were presented to the side for seasoning and palate cleansing.  The tuna rolls were simple with simply the tuna, the rice, and seaweed to wrap it.  It was simple but good and allowed me to get the fresh taste of the tuna.  The shrimp was tender and obviously very fresh because it had none of the bad flavor that comes when shrimp gets old.  As far as the rest of my nigiri, I was served white tuna, yellowtail tuna, salmon and more tuna.  It was all fresh and had a good texture and taste, but I preferred the rich, fatty flavor of the white tuna best.

I am glad that a sushi restaurant has opened up in Midland, I hope to return sometime when I am in town.  While it isn't a great, high end sushi place, it is good for what it does.