“Not to waste a single grain of rice is called the mind of the way.” The Japenese Zen master Dōgen was probably trying ot say more than “don’t waste your food.”
But Japanese food has always tried to express something deeper than satisfying a basic biological need or scratching a particular culinary itch. It’s known for careful preparation, presentation, sound, healthy ingredients and distinctive flavors.
So, it’s not a surprise that it doesn’t often lend itself to express takeout or fast casual dining. And, as fun as the American expression of Teppanyaki can be from time to time, flipping shrimp across the table into someone’s mouth or squirting saki down someone’s throat doesn’t seem to capture much of the care and import Japanese cuisine is known for.
In the same way, fast food Japanese doesn’t often come off as authentic.
The chicken egg rolls ($6.95) are hot with a crispy wrapper.
Contributed / Eric Daeuber
But that doesn’t mean it’s not possible, and it doesn’t mean that the traditional care that goes into Japanese food can’t find a home in Fargo and can’t give at least a taste of the atmosphere that’s in keeping with those traditions. Fuji Hibachi and Poke Express gives it a shot and it comes off surprisingly well. The food is good. The options are plentiful given the relatively short list of culinary techniques. The people behind the walkup counter are friendly and helpful.
But what sets it apart from other express and fast-food options is the spartan yet very thoughtful atmosphere that goes far beyond what you’d expect in a strip mall diner.
The space is spotlessly clean, bright, welcoming and surprisingly true to what you might find in a Japanese living room. In full disclosure, I’ve never really had a true dining experience in Japan. But I did end up in the airport in Tokyo for a four-hour layover once and ate at an express diner. It was strangely similar. The delicately mounted butterflies in frames, the Zen art on the walls, the koan-inspired fish hanging from the ceiling, the little anime figurines, the sharp angles and rounded edges of the furniture — it’s relaxing and absorbing and comes close to making you forget the plastic and paper dinnerware that serves you your meal, either at your table or in the bag that you carry out to your car.
There’s not much in the Fargo and Moorhead area that compares to how Fuji has shaped what was once a coffee shop and has always been a rather unforgiving bland interior, into a pleasant and convivial dining space.
The seaweed salad ($6.50) is bright and refreshing.
Contributed / Eric Daeuber
The food is not only good but priced in line with what an express takeout meal should cost you. The hibachi beef ($16.95) is hot, well-seasoned and avoids the stickiness of stir fry that has been sauced a little too long ago. The rice doesn’t clump like too much of the rice prepared for takeout seems to require, and the noodles don’t swim in the oils that takeout noodles too often live in.
If you’re sitting at a table, it feels as though it was prepared fresh as a sit-down meal and not just parts of a hotter-than-usual DoorDash dinner. Paired with a seaweed salad ($6.50) and a couple of chicken egg rolls ($6.95), a single order of the hibachi beef can serve as dinner for two for less than $30. And that arrangement wasn’t just my shot at a cheap date, although it was that too, but was recommended as such by the man behind the counter who seemed to appreciate the importance of occasional thrifty dining.
1/4: The interior of Fuji Hibachi and Poke Express is minimal but thoughtful and bright.
Contributed / Eric Daeuber
2/4: What had been a rather bland coffee shop has been transformed into a welcoming restaurant.
Contributed / Eric Daeuber
3/4: Anime figurines add to the authentic atmosphere at Fuji Hibachi and Poke Express.
Contributed / Eric Daeuber
4/4: Deep fried dumplings are a tasty side to any of the main dishes offered at Fuji Hibachi and Poke Express.
Contributed / Eric Daeuber
In keeping with that appreciation for a rich mix of menu and appetite options, poke bowls come with a bewildering list of create-your-own bowl ingredients in three sizes.
What it doesn’t have, of course, are the dishes and linens, or the table service, that would knock it out of the “express” market. But it has much of what else you might need for a night out.
I’ve already expressed my inadequate level of experience that might qualify an opinion on authenticity, but I can speak to mood and menu and it comes as close to an agreeable experience of Japanese cuisine as anyone might expect to find in a community with a growing appreciation for ethnic cuisine but a budget and level of patience that a too-long day at work suggests.
Fuji Hibachi and Poke Express
2600 52nd Avenue South #101, Fargo
Cuisine: Japanese
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday
Phone: 701-532-3854
Reservations accepted: No
Alcohol: No
Food: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Ambiance: 3 stars
What do the star ratings mean?
⭐️ One star: The food does not reflect what’s promised on the menu. Ingredients are not always fresh and are not in keeping with the quality necessary to contribute to a satisfying dish. Wait times are unreasonably long or the staff is not responsive. The dining space isn’t clean or comfortable.
⭐️⭐️ Two stars: The food is fresh and prepared as suggested in the menu, with pricing that is appropriate for the quantity and quality of the food. The temperatures are correct. Wait times for food are reasonable. The restaurant is clean, and the staff are attentive.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Three stars: The menu offers some creative options. Most items are prepared in-house with few processed ingredients. Wait staff are responsive and well-versed in the menu. Dishes arrive in an appropriate order and at appropriate times. The ambiance reflects the restaurant’s interest in the comfort of its guests.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Four stars: The menu includes unique items that require special ingredients and particular care in their preparation. The presentation of food highlights its best qualities. Dishes, cutlery, glassware, and table dressing are appropriate to the style of the food and the prices on the menu. Wait staff anticipates needs and accommodates reasonable special requests. Staff know the menu intimately, including all the ingredients. Altogether, the elements of the dining experience are exceptional.
Eric Daueber has been reviewing the culinary arts for the Forum since 2004. A seasoned traveler, he has eaten roast suckling pig and sebadas in Sardinia, schnitzel and kaiserschmarrn in Vienna, bangers and mash in London, dumplings in Shanghai, and Peking duck in Peking, to name a few. Eric was raised in a culinary household; his father was a baker and his mother a cook who emigrated from Austria after WWII. Both grew up and worked in the heart of Austrian culinary art’s in Styria. He can be reached at food@daeuber.com.
Dining and Cooking