FU, 23 Yermiyahu, Tel Aviv

I Pity The Fu

I have a hard time turning down a chance to go to sushi.  It seems to be one of the only foods I have cravings for, and is the only food type I catch myself saying:

I haven't had sushi in a while 

Along with Moon, FU was highly recommended.  When a few classmates told me they were heading to FU for dinner, I hadn’t even thought about having sushi and then it hit me just then.  It HAD been a while since I had sushi.

Momma Didn’t Raise No Fu

I have to be careful when I get to FU, since the last time I went to sushi I got a little carried away.  FU doesn’t make it easy, since their menu is filled with full page pictures that beg you to point with your finger and say “I’ll take that one and that one, and that one, and oohhhh, that one looks good. Are those good? It doesn’t matter, I’ll take that as well.”

But I managed to reserve myself a little more and ordered only a few items.  Lolita ordered off menu some of her favorite dishes, and Caroline ordered a chicken caesar salad, which apparently is good, but I think that’s like going to a steak house and ordering a chicken caesar salad.  (Somewhere Jiro is weeping tears of soy sauce.) Max and I stick to the pictures in the book like the dragon roll and the tuna arugula. I’m quite partial to anything with the word dragon in it, and I’m a sucker for anything that resembles pizza (the Mexican Tuna).

I did order something called nagiri balls which are nagiri-sushi in the shape of small billard balls. Of course I’d offer my guests an opportunity to try them and happily share my balls. Sadly they didn’t arrive in time and I had to tell the waitress to hold my balls and take my balls of the bill.

I Like Rice

This sushi is GOOD.   The fish is fresh, soft and melts in your mouth.  Not only do you have incredible creative dishes that do not stray too far from dishes I’m familiar with back in Toronto, LA or Vancouver, but they look like the pictures, which is always a pleasant surprise.

FU is also pretty good at what I call the fish-to-rice ratio, which is that delicate balance of wondering if the sushi place is just filling you up with rice to carbo-load you to run the Tel Aviv Marathon. One thing I found most surprising was the rice tasted amazing.  I don’t know how they do it, but it was the first time I realized that rice is as much part of the sushi experience as the fish, and not just a grainy vessel to carry the peskitarian protein, wasabi and soy sauce.  This makes ordering the maki or nagiri that much more enjoyable. (Are you still wondering about the balls?)

Suggestions

Almost everything we had tasted incredible, the avocado was creamy, the fish was delicate and the rice was satisfying (I did mention that even the rice tasted good?).

Go here on a date if you want to impress someone.  It’s intimate enough for a couple but busy enough to handle a small group of friends.  Don’t be afraid to try something new, and it’s as easy as pointing to a picture.

Blarg!

NomNom: The place can get busy, since most Tel Avivians know it’s a great place for sushi.  I find the whole “eating sushi” outside a little getting use to. The dishes are served quite nicely on granite dishes and rectangle wood platters.  Don’t order too much as the servers there aren’t on top of their game and might forget it.  

Blarg: It’s a bit on the pricey side, so I’ll take the most deserving soldier.  I figure there were a lot of people on dates and the Captain salutes that wholeheartedly.

Gary:  Yata!!! Tuta Retaaa Blayach.

NomNom:  Gary says it’s a great place to get that sushi fix.

Dishes

• Som tam carrot salad 32NIS
• Chicken caesar salad 42NIS
• Mexican tuna 49NIS
• Green dragon 32NIS
• Tuna arugula 42NIS
• Rainbow roll 37NIS
• Sashimi 33NIS
• Yellow tail 40NIS
• Yellow tail roll
• Avocado roll
• Whiskey and soda

Rating