My beautiful wife is the person who really opened my horizons as far as sushi is concerned. I dabbled here or there with sushi’s fan favorites while never delving into sushi’s underbelly, but now I have seen the light. One can think you have an idea of the culture of sushi, but until you spend some time in Japan like I have, you cannot even imagine its wonderful and amazing aspects it brings to ones culinary palate. I became immersed and hooked for life the minute I set foot upon Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Market and they presented me with live fish pulled right off a boat immediately after being caught and then sliced right in front of me to eat.
Now I do not want you to think that going to Mt. Fuji Restaurant will recreate my Tokyo experience, but I do think they can put on you the right path of enjoying some of sushi’s fan favorites in order for you to expand your horizons some day in the future when you have the chance to go to Tsukiji Fish Market for yourself. I started the meal with an order of Miso Soup. With its fish based stock, kelp, and onion, the soup really gets your tasted buds ready for sushi’s fishy wonderland of flavors. Mt. Fuji’s is not the best Miso Soup around, but it certainly is above average.
Next up were two very basic sushi items. Philadelphia Roll which consists of smoked salmon and cream cheese and two pieces of Kani otherwise known as a Crab Stick, but is not really crab at all as it is a mixture of fish pressed together. These are two of the mildest, yet delicious options for someone new to sushi and anyone fears of raw fish need not to worry with these options as they are cooked sushi. Yes there is such a thing as cooked sushi options to get you ready for the big leagues of raw fish. Mt. Fuji’s serving was as good as any of the places around this area, if not better than most.
The main course chosen was Eel Fried Rice. Now I enjoy eel quite a bit, but this may have been the case of too much of a good thing. The fried rice is cooked hibachi style, so it’s not that cheap yellow looking substance most Americanized fast-food Chinese takeout locations serve, but instead rice with a nice sticky texture making it chopstick friendly to eat and much tastier. The eel while good, overpowered the sublimity of the fried rice. The taste profile provided in this dish was by no fault of Mt. Fuji. This was a misstep in ordering on my part, as I was not looking for something as bold, so I would have been better suited choosing shrimp instead of eel. Now if you want bold, go with the eel. Again with fried rice, Mt. Fuji is above average in this category, but is not reinventing the wheel.
My final words on Mt. Fuji are that if you live or are around the Deptford Mall area to do some shopping, they are a nice surprise in an ocean of chain restaurants surrounding that area. They are above average in the quality of their food, while charging extremely reasonable prices as you can pay double for a lot of selections on their menu at sushi restaurants in Philadelphia. The atmosphere is quiet with the decor being bland, but that is better than being loud and ridiculous as most of the eateries are surrounding the mall. If you want to be adventurous one Sunday and have never tried sushi; be sure to check them out as it is only $20-$24 for all you can eat sushi, soups, and salads there. You will not be disappointed.
BlueJeanFood 