|
It could be argued that no culture better understands
the concept of dining experience than the Japanese
culture. In Japan, eating out is a constant, to the
point that no business deal is complete without
having a meal. The Japanese government allows dining
expenses to be completely written off, amounting to
an enormous government subsidy of the restaurant
business.
As a result, many Japanese restaurants are very
serious about providing the best dining experience
possible. I hope to witness this firsthand someday,
but, for now, I will settle for FuGaKyu Cafe in
Sudbury. Not that settling is at all the right turn
of phrase!
FuGaKyu is a fantastic restaurant on all counts.
A friend and I had dinner there on 4/20/2002, and
it was especially fun for me as I was getting to
introduce a sushi maven from the west coast to this
gem of a restaurant in our area. Needless to say,
she was as delighted as I almost always am when I
have a meal there.
FuGaKyu is located in a completely unassuming and
tiny shopping center on Route 20; I've often blinked
and driven by it accidentally. It's a small place,
and seating can be hard to come by on busy nights.
Upon entering, you're warmly greeted by the manager
or by a server in a kimono - all of the decor and
interior is traditional Japanese, and it's very
lovely.
Though I have only ever gotten sushi from FuGaKyu
for my meals, the restaurant offers a staggering
array of Japanese dishes - much more than you
would find at a plain old tepanyaki restaurant or
at a restaurant that is mainly a sushi bar.
I hope to someday work my way over to some of those
menu items; but frankly, I must get the
sushi when I come here because the quality of the
sushi is beyond belief. The fish is incredibly
fresh and beautiful, better than anywhere else I've
tried (outside of Hawaii). The skill of the sushi
chefs is also very evident, as they throw in tiny
swans made of carrot or confetti cut delicacies.
The only thing that consistently disappoints me
when I go to FuGaKyu (if you can truly call it a
disappointment) is that their sashimi is always
cut a bit too large. It's much too difficult to
eat sashimi that isn't bite sized. It's sad,
because FuGaKyu Cafe would be a "Rising Star" if
they could just cut their sashimi a little
smaller.
But this is truly a small complaint; every other
aspect of the dining experience is stellar - the
service is wonderful, the food grand, and the cost
is eminently reasonable.
UPDATE: FuGaKyu's sushi chefs have taken the
necessary step of reducing the size of their sashimi.
This upgrades their Portions score to 9, bringing them
to Rising Star status! Congratulations, FuGaKyu!
(Also, try the orange mousse dessert if it is still
being offered as a special...)
|