Phantom Gourmet: Fuji At Assembly In Somerville
SOMERVILLE - Chef Jimmy Liang is a master sushi maker, slicing, sculpting and serving pristine pieces of edible art at Fuji Assembly in Somerville. Located in the new Assembly Row shopping center, this Asian eatery has minimal decor, dim lighting and a sushi bar lined with some of the most talented sushi chefs in the area.
"What makes great sushi - obviously it's the ingredients and the technique," Jimmy stated. "It's going to depend upon how fresh your fish is, and after that would be your sushi rice. That's a technique in itself."
All of the fish at Fuji Assembly is brought in fresh daily and sliced meticulously by Jimmy and his staff. From there it's made into inventive rolls or wrapped around rice for nigiri.
"Making a piece of nigiri is not as simple as it looks," said Jimmy. "Over the years I've come up with my own technique which is shaping the rice first, and then the amount of touches I have on the fish is minimal. Touching the fish changes the temperature of the fish and it also changes the texture of the fish as well."
The raw creations here include Ming's Mango roll, named in honor of Jimmy's chef, filled with mango and asparagus with spicy tuna top; or the decadent Queen's roll, made with opulent ingredients that are favorites of Jimmy's girlfriend, including tuna, kobe beef and caviar.
While there are plenty of traditional techniques on display at the sushi bar, a different set of skills is needed back in the kitchen where the hot stuff is prepared.
"The secret to making a nice wok dish is being able to control the flame," explained Jimmy. "These guys - they're tossing and using the wok and using the spatula, but they're controlling the flame with their knees. Meanwhile their hands are busy, but their legs are also cooking too. It's almost a little magical- seeing them doing it.
All of that magic can be found in dishes like Mango Chicken, a colorful dish loaded up with chicken, red and green peppers, and onions; or the Beef Udon, with tender chunks of meat, peppers and thick-cut noodles.
"It's a very simple dish," Jimmy told us. "You've got your beef. You've got your udon noodles. You stir fry them together. It's just nice, simple. It is what it is. You get what you're looking at."
A starter that doesn't appear as it seems is the Stir Fried Potato Slivers. The match stick spuds are a classic Szechuan dish, stir-fried to order with vinegar, so the starchiness seems to disappear.
"When you eat it, it doesn't even taste like potatoes, so you don't really taste the starchiness right away," described Jimmy. "It takes on the flavors of the vinegar and the chili peppers, but the texture itself, it's crunchy. So a lot of people, when they order the stir fried potato slivers, they'll ask me, 'Where's the potato?' Well you know what? You're eating the potato without even knowing it."
If you're looking for some snacks to share, there are Lobster Rangoons stuffed with seafood and cream cheese in a crispy shell, or the Sweet Crispy Chili Wings that are marinated in soy, garlic, honey and chili, and then twice fried.
"It has a really nice kick, and because the wings itself has been double-fried, when you bite into it, it has this nice crunch to it, too."
For something you've probably never seen before, try the Roasted Duck on a Croissant, a sandwich combining two of Jimmy's favorite flavors.
"One of my most favorite things is the croissant: a buttery croissant. And one of my other most favorite ingredients is duck. And what better than to put the two of them together and make a very nice tasting sandwich."
The creative menu continues right through dessert with Green Tea Tiramisu, and the Tempura Fried Banana served hot alongside ice cream and fresh berries.
"When you bite into it, it's warm and it's soft because that's what happens to bananas when you cook it. Naturally it just has this nice, sweet flavor to it and it's not overpowering, like traditional sugar," Jimmy explained.
Yes, life is sweet for Jimmy Liang, because his passion and talent have a found a home in Somerville.
"Food is really my first love and what I always say to people is, 'Running a business is the necessary evil I have to perform in order for me to be able to do what I love, which is food.' And for me working with good ingredients, and creating a dish, and seeing a smile on someone's face when they're eat it - that's priceless to me."
You can find Fuji Assembly at 320 Canal Street, that's inside Assembly Row, and online at fujiatassembly.com.
Watch Phantom Gourmet on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 and 11 a.m. on myTV38.