A Fushin of best ingredients
It’s only five years old but is the number one spot, writes Cindy Preller
SERVING a range of exquisite dishes to a select few, Fushin Sushi and Eastern Cuisine last week. celebrated the five years it has been in business in the city.
In this short space of time, the trendy Stanley Street restaurant has shot to success, having earlier this year been ranked by Tripadvisor as the Number One restaurant out of 188 establishments in Port Elizabeth.
The exotic dishes owner and host Mark Oosthuizen served to an eclectic mix of special guests ranging from politicians, businessmen and close family members are what has made this Richmond Hill restaurant one of the most popular in the city – visited by sushi lovers from all over the world. The cool August evening’s birthday celebration was started with a welcoming fruity spritzer in the private Soho Fushin Lounge, which is adjacent to the busy restaurant in Stanley Street and offers a more private dining experience and pre-drinks venue to patrons.
A selection of perfectly crafted Fushin sushi started off the evening – arguably what this restaurant does best.
Each piece of sushi is freshly made, which distinguishes it from the dining experiences at other sushi restaurants, particularly the franchises.
The sushi served at Fushin is also made up of unique com- binations, again offering a different dining experience to the generic sushi served at many other restaurants.
Next, the Peruvian baked scallops were served in their shells, accompanied by a tangy, spicy sauce. Although a very rich seafood dish, the sauce did not overpower the fresh taste of the shellfish.
To clean the palate we were served Edamane, a Japanese soya bean dish with rock salt, a regular on the menu that I had not tried before. This simple dish offers a remarkably filling and fresh taste.
My semi-vegetarian state did not let me partake in the next two dishes. Short crispy black pepper ribs and Seared Sparta Carpaccio with freeze-dried herbs, but I was told by fellow party-goers that it satisfied the most carnivorous cravings in all of them.
The versatility of these favourite party dishes mirror the menu and dining style at Fushin – one of the reasons for the restaurant’s runaway success. Other than fresh quality ingredients and attentive staff, the versatile menu caters for all food lovers’ tastes in abundance. Parents like myself with babysitters at home could not make the post-party drinks, although I did have a taste of a rather unusual drink ordered by my friend. A combination of candy floss, Stroh rum, lemongrass and a few other secret ingredients – the perfect finishing touch to end the evening off. Congratulations to Mark and his team, and well done for putting PE on the foodie map.
ý During Fushin’s birthday celebrations last week, Mark handed over a cheque of R10 000 to Love Story founder and Southern Kings rugby player, Luke Watson.
Love Story is a non-profit charity organisation involved with a variety of projects in PE, such as soup kitchens, creche support, clothing and toy distribution and hospital handouts. Fushin diners are encouraged to add R5 to their bill, which gets donated to Love Story.