Though the name may have some students blushing, Fuku Sushi is a welcome addition to the selection of restaurants in Main Gate Square. Fuku’s acid green and purple interior catches the eye of passersby, and the wait staff’s cheeky uniforms ð- shirts emblazoned with “”Fuku Up,”” and “”Fuku Anywhere”” – put a grin on customers faces.
UA students in need of a nearby sushi bar have been flocking to the restaurant since opening day about two weeks ago.
But Fuku’s service leaves much to be desired. The place was understaffed when I went, pulling in employees from The Pita Pit because both restaurants have the same owner. Even with the extra staff, service was still slow. The miso soup ($2) and Fuku house salad took a considerable amount of time, and we had to remind our waiter three times that our squid salad ($7) had not been brought with the rest of the starters. The squid salad, once it finally arrived, was good, with a generous amount of sweet, marinated fish. Though its broth was full of flavor, the miso soup was seriously lacking in seaweed, tofu and scallion.
Despite the sluggish service, Fuku managed to redeem itself with its sushi. My yellowtail sashimi, served atop a bed of shredded cabbage ($7) was delicious, buttery and tasted fresh. The Tucson roll was another winner, with avocado, cucumber and crab topped with shrimp. The gigantic Vegas roll ($8) was crispy, drizzled with eel sauce, and had a perfect balance of fried crunchiness, soft rice and tender fish. Both the spicy tuna ($6) and rainbow rolls ($9) were excellent, and I was happy to see that neither was heavy on the rice or skimpy on the fish.
Fuku offers several dishes for those who are too squeamish to test the raw fish waters. The chicken yakisoba ($8.50), a dish comprised of noodles, minced chicken, onion and garnished with pickled ginger, was a pleasantly hot complement to the sushi. The teppanyaki was also good, featuring wokked carrots, onion, zucchini and tender chunks of chicken. The dish, however, was supposed to be served with fried or white rice; neither was served to our table. When I reminded the waiter of this, he was certain the dish didn’t even come with rice until I showed him on the menu.
If Fuku can overcome its shortcomings in the service department, it could very well become a campus favorite. Pricing could also be improved, especially after the spots’ two previous occupants went out of business, presumably due to their extravagant prices. Though Fuku has some work to do, their large selection of creative rolls and high quality fish is sure to keep UA students coming back for more.
