This place is okay, I don't care for hibachi but if I must, I accept my fate (food coma).
I remember when this place was an Italian restaurant, and then it was Sticky Fingers, I think...well now it looks like something glitzy. Love the decor in here, and I like that the hibachi tables aren't all closed into individual rooms.
I wasn't expecting there to be a full Japanese menu here, which would explain the picturebook size and weight menu. In addition to hibachi there's sushi, teriyaki, udon, tempura, etc. They have plenty of drinks, and the prices are pretty fair. I had a glass of house Riesling, and it was 2 for 1. Even better!
It took forever to get the drinks though because practically everyone else in my party ordered a beer that turned out to be out. My brother wanted Asahi, out. My mom wanted Yuengling Light, out. It was almost like, well what ISN'T out?
The hibachi meals are pretty reasonably priced. Chicken and steak will run you $16.95 and if you're into fried rice, the upcharge for it is 99 cents.
You get soup and salad beforehand of course. The soup definitely seemed like it was a beef broth, it was far too hearty to be miso. We laughed that they must have remembered Brick Oven because the bowl of soup contains a single rotini noodle. The salad was almost like ginger soup because there was far more dressing than lettuce, always the sign you are eating hibachi.
So then it's the usual, here all the typical sauces, here's your fried rice, vegetables, shrimp...and then teriyaki noodles? Why do you have rice if you have noodles? They were good though, but talk about carb overload. I would take noodles over rice any day especially in this setting.
There's nothing that really sets Fuji apart from other hibachi places. It's a lot of food, but it tastes like every other average hibachi restaurant...food covered in sauces and salt that you can't stop eating. The steak isn't the best (but I am spoiled by a place near me) but I always consider it a success if it doesn't involve a) picking off fat or b) being inedible.
The staff is the reason I didn't enjoy fully enjoy myself though.
Our chef was alright...he asked if it was our first time there, which it was. The rest of my family hadn't been to a hibachi restaurant since I was last in Chattanooga for my birthday, and we went to Ichiban. He had asked where we have been, and my dad said that, to which the chef responds, "well we speak English here." Ummm, what? They do at every other hibachi restaurant I've been to around here...in fact I've seen people get pissed off over not having a Japanese chef at one...
He also sent sauce flying while serving the noodles and it burned my boyfriend's hand. Needless to say he wasn't that impressive. I also pretty much could never hear what he was saying even though I was pretty much directly in front of him.
So basically the service leaves a lot to be desired. My boyfriend and I don't get fried rice, so it took forever to get the steamed rice, and the server wanted us to just dump it on our plates so she could take the bowls back. I don't eat all the rice that gets put in the bowls anyway, and I sure as hell couldn't after getting some noodles. So for some reason she didn't like me leaving half of it in the bowl and asked everyone else if they wanted the rest. It was weird and kind of tacky.
And not even maybe 3 minutes after our chef left the table she was asking who wants a box. So then the boxes are sitting there while you're still trying to finish up.
I try to accept you, hibachi places, but you make it so hard. I'd give you 2.5 stars but I'll round up because I'm feeling nice and the food was tons better than the other options for dinner that night.
ONE LAST NOTE: if you drive a car low to the ground, do NOT turn in/out on Highway 153. It is horrible and you will cry. Take the back way in from Gadd Road. read more