Happy Birthday Fugakyu

With O Ya getting all the press, and Uni taking on the overflow, we were starting to forget about the city’s other great sushi spots. So Tuesday night we zipped over to Fugakyu in Coolidge Corner to celebrate the Japanese restaurant’s 10 years in the maki biz.

Lucky for us, we had polished our chopsticks: We’d be sampling chef Hiro San‘s special B-day menu, which will be available to guests all month.

And boy, does it taste like a party. Many of the specialty rolls incorporated fruit like watermelon, mango, daikon, and grapefruit; the Saki Mango Kniuta (salmon with daikon, mango, and cucumber) was finished with a honey yuzu chili. The combination of tangy sweetness and lingering spiciness was addictive, even for a person who isn’t always a fan of spicy food.

We also couldn’t get enough of the Kumamoto oysters, garnished with shallots, tomato, watermelon, and wasabi ponzu. The sliders went down so easy we had to taste four.

The longer we stayed, the more we remembered why we like this place. Unlike more modern sushi spots around town, Fugakyu resembles an authentic Japanese abode, complete with bamboo enclaves, a koi pond, and stone sculptures. In the private rooms, guests can kick off their shoes and kneel, Japanese-style, in front of a long communal table that seats as many as 10 people at a time.

And since it’s tough enough to secure a spot for one at O Ya, nevermind a room for 10, we have a feeling this isn’t the only birthday we’ll be celebrating here.