Foodie Friday: Fuji Ramen House
SALISBURY, Md. – Get your chopsticks skills ready, because on this edition of Foodie Friday, you’re going to need them.
Real Ramen
We’re heading to Fuji Ramen House. It’s a relatively new spot, owned by a man who’s been serving up Asian fusion delicacies across Delmarva for years.
“I love ramen a lot, and I always go to New York or Baltimore to have the ramen,” Jack Chen explained. “But, it was too far for me. So, that is the big reason I’d like to bring authentic ramen to Salisbury.”
Jack and his team of chefs schooled the Foodie Friday team on two classics: tonkatsu, or pork ramen, and chicken katsu ramen. They’re only made more delicious by their complements, an egg, bean sprouts, corn, seaweed, fish cakes, bamboo shoots, and green onion.
Super Soft Bao Buns
Super soft bao buns are also stuffed with slow-braised pork chashu, a refreshing slice of cucumber, and some mixed greens. Original bun sauce and spicy mayo tie it all together.
“One of my favorite things about bao buns, in general, is just how soft and cloud-like they are. These are no exception to that,” said Foodie Host Hannah Cechini after their first bite. “The pork that’s in these bao buns has a really nice, subtle smoky flavor to it… I’m also really enjoying the crunch that’s coming out of the cucumber and the lettuce in this bao bun.”
Chopstick Chops
Now let’s go to Foodie Photog Mike for a check on his chopsticks handling chops. “I may have reached the upper limits of my chop sticks skills,” he admitted with a laugh. “Mike and chopsticks is still a work in progress. But, we enjoy working on it.”
Not to worry. Mike still managed to get those delicious bites of tasty tonkatsu, his favorite kind of ramen.
“That pork pinwheel has a lovely char on it, and just brings a nice smokiness to the whole affair,” Mike said. “That’s a really nice broth.”
The egg might have even stolen the show a bit for Mike. “This is definitely one of those secrets I haven’t cracked, yet. It’s a lovely, soft-boiled texture. But, there’s so much flavor from the soy sauce and some of the other things that they marinate the egg in,” he said.
A Real Treat
Hannah decided to chow down on the chicken katsu ramen, but had to marvel at the masterpiece first.
“I think one of the really fun things about authentic ramen, like this, is that because there are so many ingredients in here, it’s just kind of visually fun to look at before you even dive into it,” Hannah said.
The tenderness of the chicken, when combined with its crunchy coating, was unmatched. Add in the umami-packed broth, and awesome additions mentioned above, and you’ve got yourself a real treat.
“I love the breading on [the chicken]. It’s just the perfect amount of crunch,” Hannah said. “It really is like a ‘choose your own adventure’ situation, because depending on what you manage to get on your chopsticks, you’re going to have a different combination of flavors and textures. So, it’s just a fun experience, all around.”
Fuji Ramen House
Fuji Ramen House is located at 800 South Salisbury Boulevard #G, Salisbury, Md. You can call them at 410-376-8888. If you go to check it out, tell the team that you saw them on Foodie Friday.
