Fuji Hibachi Express — Restaurant in Vestavia Hills

Just opened very recently, Fuji Hibachi Express replaced what used to be China Ben in the Vestavia Hills Publix shopping center. It is nestled between Publix and Masaman Thai Kitchen. The new owners put a fresh coat of paint in the small but quaint dining area but otherwise it looks exactly like the old China Ben with 5 available tables. You place your order at the counter then make yourself comfortable as you wait for your food. There is no soda machine. Instead they have a cooler adjacent to their ordering counter stocked with bottled sodas and water. Their food is served in to-go containers even if you are dining in. Each of their tables has a nice fresh bottle of Sriracha sauce. Together with your provided Yum-Yum sauce, you should be good to go if you're dining-in. The floor is immaculate and everything was nice and clean as you would expect from a brand new eatery whose aim is to impress. This is a family owned business and their children attend Vestavia schools as I had Eric in one of my chaperone groups on our last Pizitz Band trip. I enjoyed their decorative bamboo plants placed around the room.

Their aim is to provide quick, affordable, good Asian food and they don't disappoint. The Dad or head chef cooks everything fresh right behind the ordering counter on their flat hot grill just as you would see it cooked in front of you at Stix or Sumos. Their menu is so simple, there won't ever be much of a queue to place your order and pay. You have your choice of hibachi chicken, shrimp, steak or veggies and any combination thereof. In addition, they have egg rolls, spring rolls, crab rangoon, steam or fried dumplings, egg and hot & sour soup and your choice of fried rice.

We tried the hibachi steak and hibachi shrimp with hot and sour soup. We did not have to wait long before our food was brought out to us nicely packed in a bag. There were also small containers of Yum Yum sauce (that bright orange sauce of goodness) for those of you who can't eat Japanese without it. Their portions are [use your best Trump impression] Yuge. For our Hibachi shrimp I requested no rice and extra veggies. The container was overrun with zucchini, broccoli and onions! Their marinated pieces of steak were soft, nicely grilled and delicious with that brown glaze/sauce. Similarly the hibachi shrimp had plenty of medium to small shrimp stir fried with veggies. Their hot and sour soup didn't have any meat, but plenty of string bamboo shoots, tofu and mushrooms... delicious! I had to add a pinch of salt to satisfy my taste buds, but I would rather food be under than over salted. Oh and don't forget the Yum Yum sauce.

I am definitely returning and this time I will try their hibachi chicken and perhaps their egg roll, spring rolls, crab rangoon or dumplings. With their simple menu, many will quickly find their "favorites" to order from Fuji. If you're looking for a quiet romantic Asian place to take a date, go elsewhere. But if you're looking for no-frills, affordable, quick and tasty asian stir fry,...

This is a tough review to do so I will do two separate reviews. Hibachi Review & Chinese Review.

Hibachi Review I ordered the Hibachi Steak, Chicken and Shrimp. For was good. It's not the best Hibachi but you get a nice amount of food for a decent price. Everything was more or less cooked well. Veggies could have been a bit tastier. 7 / 10.

Chinese Review I think the Chinese menu is newer but I think the term "Stick to what you know" applies here. I ordered the Sesame Chicken with an order of egg rolls and that has to be the worst Sesame Chicken I've eaten. It was over cooked and the sauce was bland. Sesame chicken sauce is usually not so thick, a few steps away from being like an icing. I had my coworker try a piece and he said the same, it was so overcooked you can barely eat it. Egg Rolls were ok. Edible at least but not really good. 1/10

If the sesame chicken is any indication of what the chinese menu is like they should scrap the whole thing and focus on improving the Hibachi items.

If you stick with the Hibachi Menu...

Let me tell you about my transformative experience with Fuji Hibachi Express yum yum sauce. First, I ordered the Hibachi Chicken, and when it arrived, it looked like a delicious masterpiece sent from the heavens. But the real star of the show was that little container of yum yum sauce on the side.

One bite dipped in the sauce, and BOOM—I was transported. Not to China, but to a magical dimension where every food choice I’ve ever made was judged by an old wise panda. And the panda just nodded, saying, “You did well, my friend.”

The sauce is so good, I briefly considered bottling it and selling it on eBay to fund my next vacation. It’s creamy, tangy, and has a mysterious hint of something that says, “I’m the reason you’ll be licking the plate.”

I’d go back for the dumplings, egg rolls, and honestly, just a tub of that yum yum sauce with a spoon. Highly recommend this place if you love good food and want to experience a condiment-induced...