FUKI-Japanese-Cuisine — Restaurant in Somerville

Fuki is not just another mid-tier sushi restaurant; it's a fun, vibrant place that dares to play around with traditional sushi norms.

Having undergone a management change, Fuki emerged with a fresh and innovative take on traditional sushi. Instead of conforming to the standard sushi fare, they have shifted their focus to curating a menu that blends fun and culinary creativity.

The Tuna Dumplings encapsulated Fuki's unique approach perfectly. Wrapping a mix of crab stick, mango, and lobster in a sheet of tuna, this dish was far from being a mere novelty. Each bite was a delightful blend of familiar sushi flavors, presented in an unexpected way.

The Coconut Butterfly Shrimp did not disappoint either. With succulent shrimp encased in a perfectly crispy coconut batter, it offered a pleasing contrast of textures. The White Tiger rolls and Hamachi Jalapeño were also solid additions to the meal. However, the Sashimi Soba could have benefited from some tweaking. While the idea of combining cold soba with assorted raw fish and ikura was interesting, it didn't seem to hit the right notes in terms of harmonizing the distinct flavors.

Fuki's Special Set Menu, priced at $45, also caught my eye as a potential bargain. With the quality and novelty of dishes I've experienced so far, I'm intrigued to explore what else this sushi spot...

This restaurant seemed very popular and the server was super nice. Having said that.... the cuisine served here is not at all Japanese (I am an avid cook of Japanese cuisine). Especially, their "Tempura Udon" was shocking.. To explain..

The soup is tasteless and flavorless. No "umami" (broth) at all. It tasted like a diluted some sort of Asian soup. That is NOT how udon soup supposed to taste like. *Shrimp tempura was not at all tempura. They battered shrimp with some sort of "Karaage (fried chicken)" or perhaps "Ebi-furai (fried shrimp) batter. Note that tempura has a delicate texture, not like a super thick hard textured batters. Moreover, they battered tails of the shrimps.. In tempura, in Japan, we do NOT put any batters to the shrimp tails. I bit into the tail and almost cut my mouth by the sharp shrimp tail! *Ingredients in the soup -- they put zucchini and carrot in the udon soup. I've never seen this! finally, udon noodle itself was udon noodle (they did use the right noodles, at least).

I was too shocked to enjoy the colorful decors and hip atmosphere of this restaurant.. The signs in the restaurant are written in Chinese-- which are OK, but if you are looking for a real Japanese culinary experience, you would be...

Finally convinced my wife to go out for a Japanese meal. And with the great reviews and pictures, I was really stoked for the dinner. However: 1- table was dirty (OK, just spilled soya sauce from earlier, but a dirty table is a dirty table, this is not the Japanese I know); 2- the waitress said she would help in pulling together an appropriate meal but she was completely useless; 3- we finished the meal with the appetizers and started with entrees because - why? no idea; 3- the udon noodles in the house bowl were good, everything else in that house special quite non-descript (maybe it is not supposed to be, but seemed weird); the striper and octopus sushi quite decent; the softshell crab was cold and doughy (maybe it is supposed to be, but I can fake something like that better myself); beer was warm. All in all, the food was decent enough for the money I suppose, but service was next to useless (I'd prefer a grouchy French waiter who knows food than a clueless and humorless smile). In their defense they were fast, and that's the only reason for two stars. Probably my expectations were too high, but we walked away disappointed. Be another 10 years before I get my wife into another Japanese restaurant and that is...