Kobe Beef for the Whole Family–Fuji, Kobe, japan

There’s an old advertising saying that instructs to “Sell the sizzle, not the steak”. What it means is that a steak is generally just a steak, but the “sizzle” is the whole experience surrounding the steak. If you wander around Sannomiya you will come across plenty of Kobe Beef restaurants selling a whole lot of sizzle. Unfortunately, the advertising and luxury surroundings that makes up that sizzle comes at a price. But, if you happen to veer off the main strip a bit, and find Fuji (look for their extra-large Certified Perfect English Menu sign) you’ll discover a little less sizzle, but a whole lot more steak for your yen.

For more than 10 years, the owner of this unpretentious restaurant has prided herself on her ability to provide high quality food that families and those without corporate expense accounts can afford. From Kobe Beef to free-range chicken to locally-grown vegetables, Fuji provides the kinds of cooking and dishes that make you want to come back. On top of the certified beef and fresh ingredients, Fuji purposefully cooks with less oil and uses lighter oil than most restaurants. This means dishes that are usually greasy aren’t at Fuji, and they consequently don’t leave you feeling too full afterwards.

We began our dinner at Fuji by ordering the Kobe Beef Sirloin Steak Course 200g (5,520 yen). This course, which could feed two people, started with a fresh green salad. Next came Tonpei-yaki, an omelet with pieces of sliced pork cooked into it and covered with negi. This was a unique combination and absolutely delicious. Next, came Suji Negi-yaki, another thin omelet-like dish, but this time with small pieces of cooked beef tendon (suji) sprinkled on top. Tendon is a common ingredient at Fuji, and many people who like it tend to be regulars at the restaurant. At last our Kobe Beef came—200 grams of luscious, marbled, perfectly grilled goodness served in bite-sized pieces on a hot iron plate. It was served with grilled vegetables, garlic chips and salt to dip the meat in. As a resident of Kobe, I’ve had Kobe Beef at several places over the past few years. And though I have typically paid far more at other places, this beef was just as melt-in-your-mouth tasty. Finally, Sobameshi, fried and diced egg noodles with rice and pork, was last in the set. Sobameshi is a Kobe specialty that’s sort of like fried rice, but the noodles give it a slightly more interesting texture, and it is somewhat less salty. All in all, this Kobe Beef set was more than worth the price and provided far greater variety and excitement than a typical Kobe Beef meal.

But Fuji had a few more tricks up its sleeve. We also tried the Grilled Vegetables with Seafood (1,260 yen) and Grilled Vegetables (650 yen), which both came out on large hot iron plates and tasted light and delicious. And we tried another house specialty, the 100% Kobe Beef Hamburg Steak (1,000 yen). This was served topped with a rich sauce and smothered in red and green peppers, onions, carrots and mushrooms. Though I am not exactly a Hamburg aficionado, I can easily say that this was the best I’ve ever had. No kidding.

Regarding drinks, let me just say that if you love shochu like I love shochu, you will be happy at Fuji. They boasted at least a dozen mugi (barley) choices, close to 20 imo (potato) varieties, a few good kome (rice) bottles and at least two Awamori (shochu from Okinawa) selections. I sampled the Kamo Kagura imo shochu (600 yen) a couple times. They also offer blended shochus with ingredients like brown sugar, wild berry, wasabi and chestnut. Of course, the extensive English menu had a good selection of beer, whiskey, wine, sake and soft drinks.

Needless to say, I’ll be visiting Fuji again soon. My only regret is that I’ve lived in Kobe for so long without knowing about it. Oh well, I guess I have some eating (and drinking) to make up for.

Fuji
Tel: 078-391-1141
Kobe city Chuo-ku Nakayamate Dori 1-9-5
Open : Mon-Sat 5pm-midnight Sun. Holiday 5-11pm
Getting there: Closest station Sannomiya. Walk north on Kitano-zaka for three blocks. Turn left at karaoke on west side of street. Fuji is on your right one block ahead.
Find Fuji online at www.engmenu.com