Mt. Fuji Hibachi & Asian Bistro

A unique extravaganza of Japanese hospitality in a modern setting.
Kimberly Cambra

Hibachi literally translated in Japanese means “fire bowl” and to most people it means a front row seat with your own personal Hibachi chef. On a recent visit to Mt. Fuji’s Asian Bistro & Hibachi restaurant, the experience was just that, front and center. When you arrive at Mt. Fuji you soon discover the attention to detail before you even pick up your chopsticks. The restaurant is exquisitely designed and incorporates various aspects of Japanese influences and natural elements. Inlaid mahogany panels, glass tiles and upholstery with a bamboo pattern complement the banquette in the front dining area. The hibachi portion of the restaurant is even more handsome, polished and sedate with accents of stainless steel tile and Japanese wall art, embellished with vertical beads that create an illusion of depth.

Hibachi appeals to both the young and old, especially as you await the arrival of the chef and his neatly organized hibachi cart to his station. With anticipation, all eyes watch and wait as if a maestro has walked on stage to orchestrate a gastronomic symphony of aromas, sounds and flavors. The Mt. Fuji hibachi experience is pure enjoyment for all of the senses. In each hand the chef takes to his instruments as he invites an egg to his stage or in this case the grill top. The concert begins with the sizzle of the egg extracted from its shell very quickly; everything is quick “chop-chop” and the fried rice in seconds is ready and fills your rice bowl on large beautiful oversize plates.

Now there’s more to come, depending on what you select from Mt. Fuji’s extensive hibachi menu. The selection is endless and the combinations of seafood and meats are as well. On this particular visit, the chef prepared a fresh medley of rustic cut vegetables with zucchini, mushrooms, squash and carrots and then cued the ocean for a sonata of seafood that included shrimp, scallops and lobster. The scallops were perfectly seared then soon met their fate to a dousing of the ginger mustard sauce. Most people who opt for a fork over chopsticks will discover the beauty of a very unique utensil which was custom designed by the owner and resembles the bodice of a fish from a mermaid’s daydream.

The final performance was our filet mignon and chicken that crackled to a medium rare for the filet and the chicken continued to cook. Answering the age-old adage, which came first the chicken or the egg—according to the traditional laws of hibachi, it’s most certainly the egg.

Even with a front row seat to one of the most entertaining and delectable dining experiences in the region, Mt.Fuji also offers an impressive selection of sushi, sashimi and appetizers. A hand-sculpted bouquet of sashimi was presented in sleek deep white bowl packed with crushed ice, along with natural wooden elements that added to the overall presentation, giving the sashimi presentation height and a vertical integrity for the eye. Other starter courses to consider would be the shrimp mango roll—vibrant and succulent slices of mango tightly rolled and filled with shrimp, crab and asparagus—this plate could easily be served as a lunch item too, as it captured a bright sunny morning in every bite.

For the encore of the experience and on a sweeter note, Mt. Fuji’s dessert selection is without question very exotic. Choose from the Peach Ripieno, a whole frozen peach filled with peach sorbet or the Fuji Bomba, which is a perfectly round sphere of coconut and dark chocolate ice cream with a dark chocolate shell. The favorite was the Flute Lemoncello, with its silky and lemony texture of frozen lemon chiffon piped into a champagne glass—a very pleasurable palate cleanser—this dish might just prove to be the perfect kiss goodnight for your Mt. Fuji Hibachi & Asian Bistro experience.

Mt. Fuji Hibachi & Asian Bistro is located at the Summit Square Center at the Newtown Bypass and Route 413 in Newtown/Langhorne, PA. For more information, call (215) 860-6888 or visit www.mtfujipa.com.

Kimberly Cambra is Bucks & Montgomery Living Magazine’s Community Relations Communicator.