Hibachi Aji — Restaurant in Benbrook

1:38 PM. Thirty minutes from home, my friends had picked Hibachi Aji. One of them had Hibachi on the brain and googled any nearby restaurants. For some odd reason he used Google Maps. And kept scrolling west. And kept scrolling, and scrolling. Until he found this hidden away restaurant on the map. An obscure food truck near a highway.

We drove 30 minutes and then we saw it. We turned off onto a dirt road that rattled the car and rolled into a dusty, uneven lot. The heat bounced off the gravel in visible waves. Rocks kicked up and hit the underside of the car. Soon we were in a dirty lot next to a partially open-frame greenhouse structure that had its roof torn to shreds in places.

We parked next to a white van, I noted a pair of feet dangling out of the passenger door and a pair of hands holding a phone. We looked around and noted an RV and several dilapidated vehicles down the road but we got out of the car and walked towards the food truck. A voice echoed from behind the truck telling us to park closer. My friend got back in his car and moved it, while the rest of us came around the corner. That same man who had called out was now rinsing a metal pan with a hose next to a trash can. We knew at this moment this place was special.

A few metal tables with matching seats sat off to the side, shaded only by a low aluminum roof. He took our orders one by one. While he was taking theirs, I noticed the red sign on the truck once said “Hibachi Master.” At some point in the past, the owner of this establishment decided to restart and ripped several letters off the “Master” portion of the title. Now it read: “Hibachi Aji.”

We sat down and started catching up with each other. Across the dirt road was the greenhouse. Looking straight down the middle you could see an endless sea of plants on both sides. But not one person was seen in or coming out of it. Soon, a car pulled up next to it and an old couple got out. The lady walked into the greenhouse entrance while the man walked up to us, scanning the area as if he was lost. He asked if we knew where the owner of the greenhouse was. I was the first to answer, “I think on the other side, through the greenhouse.” He said thank you and walked into the greenhouse after her.

Soon after, the owner of the food truck opened the window and called us over for our food. We dived in as the Texas winds battered us with sauna-level heat. But it didn’t matter. The food was immaculate. Regardless of the fact we were surrounded by knee-high metal statues. A rust-spotted duck sat staring back at us with a dull, weather-beaten face, the kind of statue that looked like it had been there for decades. A gnome nearby looked sun-bleached and chipped, its once-bright paint nearly erased by time. On both of them, scraps of masking tape clung on, edges curling and peeling, but you could still just barely make out the faded numbers of their price.

As we finished eating, the food truck window opened one more time and the owner asked if the food was good. All of us turned with our mouths stuffed to the brim with God’s gift to mankind. I slurped the tail end of my noodles and in unison we all replied how amazing it was. A grin spread across the man’s face and he closed his window, returning to his phone call.

We cleaned up and walked back to the car. As my friends were getting in, I looked over to the old couple’s car. It was still there. Sitting in the hot Texas sun, the heat waves radiating off of it. As I buckled in and we rolled away, I realized it had been 20 minutes since they walked into that greenhouse and disappeared into the foliage inside. My friends discussed getting boba in the background as I turned around and looked out the rear window. Realizing, we found a great hidden gem in the middle of nowhere. But in the process, I had sent an elderly couple into the abyss of a greenhouse never to be seen again.

And me, along with the rust-spotted obsidian duck, know what happened.

Praise the...

This place is litterally so worth it. I live 5 minutes from this place and without fail if I come down here, I KNOW my food will be warm, flavorful, and worth the price (which is honestly NOT bad for takeout chinese). I've had the chicken, shrimp, and steak and each and every option is just as flavorful as the other. The appetizers are made when u order them and are fresh. They also offer a veggie option and a salmon option that I haven't gone with yet but I'm sure that it'll blow me away just like everything else here. Absolutely give this place a shot. The man that runs it is so sweet and charismatic. He seems to love his job and it's shown through his mood and work ethic. Your order (if there is no line) will be max 10-15 minutes. More than likely tho you'll wait...

Oh, my goodness. This is good stuff. Authentic Japanese hibachi cooked fresh on a wok. Fresh cut vegetables, homemade from scratch egg rolls. They add a unique buttery sweet sauce that I can’t quite explain that I used it to dip my egg rolls in as well as poured it over the food. And so much food packed into the take away box, you’ll be hard pressed to finish it. You’ll dang sure eat yourself miserable. I look forward to an expanded menu and have no doubt they’ll open a brick and mortar store eventually. I just hope it’s close by. The only downside, if there is one, is the very limited...