New Fuji — Restaurant in Vancouver

A new addition to the Kingyo family, and to be honest, this is giving the nostalgic aesthetic and I am living for it. When you enter the this restaurant, it instantly time travels you back to early 1980s Japan with popular early 80s Jpop singers and tons of old CDs just nailed to the wall. This is literally the new trendy restaurant of the Kingyo family, as it gives the true millennial nostalgia. The cat clock and the rotary phones were the things we grew up in the 80s and they were all in full display in the restaurant. But one thing that YOU WILL NOT MISS is the wall right above the bar as it has so much memorabilia from the 80s from Godzilla, Evangelion Unit-01, Hello Kitty, and even Kewpie is up there too! Love that the display is the emphasis of the restaurant, coming from a previous Asian Studies Student who specialized in Japanese Pop Culture.

Truffle Corn Karaage This was pretty good, I was surprised that it was done so well. The amount of umami with the corn's sweetness really worked out well. I did enjoy the how the texture was really good just like any corn, but it was crispy too. I loved how beautifully pan fried this was. The only thing is maybe if they cooked it longer and maybe we can eat the whole cob? Idk just a suggestion, but it was delicious and I really really love it. 7.5/10

Duck Carpaccio Wow, I was extremely surprised by this dish. I love how the duck was extremely beautifully cut and it was thin enough to have a good bite and chew with it at the same time. The major thing I love about this was that the sauce they used was very prevalent. 8/10

Cheese Tofu This was such an interesting take on almond tofu with bread. It literally was cheese, figs and bread onto a plate. The flavours really mesh, as I think their cheese is very goat cheese, so the figs worked well with it and the mint that was used for garnish really paired up with everything, do I regret ordering it yes, would I order it again yes, and did it taste delicious yes. 7/10

Blue Fin Negitoro Battera When I asked my friend for suggestion, she said order everything else except for the sushi, but this was extremely delicious though.... I mean Kingyo's famous for their Battera sushi style and they are done so well. I actually really loved this dish a lot. The way it is served is so particular, and extremely dangerous as my friend who has troubles with chopsticks dropped his sushi every time. I laughed. He isn't that skilled at chopsticks yet but he tries. The flavour is on point, I didn't need to use soy sauce for this. The only thing I thought was that isn't densely pressed enough which I wanted them to do but it was just enough? Idk, it was delicious as it was placed in my mouth and I enjoyed it. 9/10

Snowcrab Mentaiko Yaki-udon I wasn't expecting it being served on a custom New Fuji dining plate. I instantly laughed at that when it arrived at our table. I love the a good yaki-udon too but it wasn't warm enough for me. As a person who loves a good char on food, it was just pure white. Understandable it is just udon, but I would have love a little bit of caramelization. Anyways, the snowcrab bits were delicious when you mix it within the plate, and on top of that, the mentaiko mix was unique. I mixed the whole plate around so all the mentaiko and the snow crab would mix with the udon. Not bad, it was delicious and a very creative style. 7.5/10

I can not believe we still ordered desserts after all of that food. Crème Brulee This was a typical crème brulee and nothing special. They put a strawberry at the top of the crème brulee, my friend didn't crack the sugar top, so I smashed it with my spoon instead. LOL he was so silly he didn't know what to do with a crème brulee. It was hilarious. 6/10

Strawberry Molten Chocolate Cake Literally a lava cake, but the strawberry ice cream on top of the cake was so delicious. I bet you it was made in house, literally a strawberry sorbet, and it was delicious. This was literally 2 desserts into 1, with the cake at the same time too,...

Newly- opened New Fuji is so wonderful it is almost beyond description. From the moment one walks in to this artfully designed Japanese restaurant, receiving a warm welcome from the host as well as all staff, who call out welcome in Japanese til the time one leaves — when again the staff wish one a thankful departure, — everything is wow. I have been in Japanese restaurants where one gets that welcome, & have always been charmed by it. At New Fuji the welcome is particularly rousing. New Fuji is the new place on the eating strip on 1st Ave from Cypress to Burrard. in Kits, having opened this month on June 4. I sat at the bar, one which is more engrossing than many & the service at it is superb. The bar backing is in teal, as are its fridges. And while the lower access selves hold bottles, as is usual, the higher ones have playful figures to adorn & amuse,, of which the often seen Japanese cat is but one. I received the best and most attentive service from the wonderful Iko but along side her great service, others also looked after me with questions and suggestions. Is the some hours there I must have engaged with some eight staff, if some very briefly. All were charming. The food was amazing. I had one dish —the fluffy unagi omelette at 12$ — twice! I had six dishes — all sublime, One was the strawberry molten chocolate cake (10$) which was smallish but the flavors finely balanced, the sauce the perfect match & it was wonderfully gooey. My bill came to 102.30$ before tip. It is very easy in the New Fuji to order its very tasty dishes, thus getting the bill up there, I liked, too, that with its tipping options it starts with 15 pct & goes upward. I tipped more than 15 pct, as I had been there some hours & received extensive service but I like it when it starts at 15 pct so as to give variation in terms of what customers are ordering etc. Thank you Iko & colleagues. I am sure I will be back, spending good time and tipping above the 15 pct level again. I had the season beer on tap, which was the delicious Yellow Dog IPA, & which was 9$ for 16 Oz. New Fuji certainly raises the bar on that eatery strip, albeit it has the well- regarded Anna Lena, next door. There are some other nice places as well but New Fuji stands out even among these. Kits near the ocean on Cornwall is lucky til now to have three nice Japanese eateries — Octopus’Garden, Moltan & Kibune, two of which have been around for decades. All are good in different ways but the fresh approach at New Fuji, is a wonderful addition. Those at either side of me expressed the same appreciation for New Fuji as we all looked at one another’s dishes, often then ordering the same. Albeit New Fuji only opened on June 4, it has a number who have established themselves as regulars . New Fuji is the latest restaurant opened in a chain which has a number of locations in Vancouver, all well regarded, in Japan, one in Taiwan & one in Seattle. Plans are there will be more in other Asian locations. The owner, who is Japanese-born, & a chef, started out in Vancouver, building his impressive food empire on these shores. No longer cheffing it seems, he was in the night I was in with a number of people enjoying being in his most recent creation . Staff describe him as very smart . Looking at New Fuji, & having dinned in another of his restaurants, he clearly is smart in the way he creates perfect dining venues. New Fuji, which is almost top-to -toe teal, with touches of orange, is retro 1980s & pleasantly quirky, is open daily from 5 pm til 10 pm & hoping to open for lunch soon. It has a nice outdoor patio which is awaiting some licensing. It will be the perfect venue for summer...

I’ve been waiting to try this place and am glad I finally did. When you enter, it’s a big open space, but not the most ideal for 2 people seating (you’ll probably end up on high shares at shared tables or the bar). It’s quite bright and can be a bit smokey, depending on how much they grill, but a very fun setting, nonetheless. Our server was great, he gave solid recommendations, attended to all of our needs and even opened the door for us as we left!

We ordered a handful of dishes, so I’ll give my two cents about each. The Fluffy “Rare” Unagi Omelette was very fluffy, texture was light, but the egg wasn’t cooked rare (runny, if I’m interpreting it right). The amount of unagi was generous and the sauce is what really made the omelette come together. Duck Carpaccio was tender and the acidic yuzu sauce paired well with the duck. I also liked how it wasn’t sliced too thinly so there’s still a good bite and the crunchy bits on top added texture - this is something I’d recommend ordering. Truffle corn karaage was our servers personal favourite and I saw lots of people order it. They chop the corn into four pieces so that you’re still eating it off of the cob. You can’t really make deep fried corn with butter taste bad, so I get why it’s popular, but I didn’t taste any truffle from it. I feel their robata is something they’re known for, so we tried the king oyster mushrooms and I was impressed. Loved the grill marks they got, mushrooms were cooked perfectly and it’s a nice light dish compared to the richer dishes we ordered. Lastly, the Chilli Rose Carbonara Yakiudon - I’ll start off by saying this was one of my favourite dishes. It was rich, creamy and indulgent. It’s not that spicy, but the flavour profile was bold. There was enough shrimp, but it really didn’t need it in my opinion and it’s a pretty decent size - I’d recommend sharing this with someone so you can order a few appetizers.

TLDR Food Ratings: 8/10 - Fluffy “Rare” Unagi Omelette 9.5/10 - Duck Carpaccio 8.5/10 - Truffled Corn Karaage 10/10 - King Oyster Mushroom 10/10 - Chilli Rose Carbonara Yakiudon

Overall, I’m a fan of this place. Ambiance is fun and I liked how I’ve never tried any of these dishes before, so it was all a new experience. They sell Japanese beyond your typical sushi is the best way to word it. This is a great place to drink and catch up with friends, or celebrate a birthday. It’s quite casual but fun, similar to places like Suika or Raisu. I’m definitely returning to try more of their dishes in the future and get the hype. I think the prices aren’t cheap, but they’re reasonable for the dishes and experience...