Esquites

When we came back on campus after the long summer, one of my suitemate’s parents invited us to eat dinner with them at one of the restaurants that had been on my bucket list: Fugakyu! I had been hearing about their fresh fish and delicious food, as well as nice atmosphere and service, so when they offered to take us, I jumped on board immediately. I hope they didn’t think I was too desperate. Because I wasn’t. Ok, maybe I was. (Remember I was broke over the summer)

Fugakyu is a Japanese restaurant located in Coolidge Corner, famous for its elegant setting and fresh, exquisite food since its opening in 1998. Because of its consistently exceptional food and service, Fugakyu has been frequently visited, by new and loyal customers alike. Or so it says online. I was finally about to find out for myself!

The six of us were given a small private space with sliding doors. It was interesting how there was a rectangular hole below the table, and we were technically seated on the floor but the hole made it so that we were on chairs. The space was a little too small for six people, and the door was too close to me because of that, but the privacy was appreciated.

Judy (the suitemate)’s parents ordered for us Agedashi Tofu for appetizer. It was a very common version of it, and had nothing special about it. I do wish that the surface was crispier – Fugakyu’s Agedashi Tofu had more of a tough exterior.

Next, the Sushi Party Boat arrived (I may be making up the name, because I don’t remember well). It came with a variety of assorted sashimi and sushi pieces, plenty for three. I prefer nigiri over sashimi, but I tried at least one of everything. The fish was, indeed, fresh – they did not disappoint! The nigiri had a nice proportion of fish to rice to ratio.

The Assorted Tempura was as memorable as how fresh the fish was, perhaps because I had never tried asparagus tempura. I never knew asparagus could make such good tempura vegetable! The shrimp and the sweet potato tempuras were also crunchy, hot, and delicious. The scallop tempuras, however, was a waste of beautiful scallops. The batter was too thick, and the scallops were overcooked and rubbery; I could almost hear the scallops crying! They could have made such beautiful seared scallops. It was quite sad.

Judy’s parents insisted that we order dessert, so we all ordered either green tea or azuki bean ice cream. The ice cream was the typical ones we could find in any Asian supermarket. On the bottom, there were canned fruits and cream. Poor choice! We all ate the first one and a half scoops of ice cream and left the rest untouched.

I still remember how fresh the fish were, and I’m starting to crave them as I think about them. Fugakyu did not disappoint and executed delicious plates for us; however, like many people think, I also thought that the food was a little overpriced. Perhaps the atmosphere and service make up for the extra bucks, but I think I will be going to places like Fish Market when I want fresh fish nigiris more frequently, at a cheaper price. For special occasions, however, I believe that Fugakyu is great.

1280 Beacon St
Brookline, MA 02446
http://www.fugakyu.net/