Fujiya Restaurant Review, 12/48, Malcha Marg Market, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi
Fujiya – menu cover
Fujiya has been a legend in its own stead and for a very long time. This Malcha Marg restaurant opened its doors way back in the 60s (1969 to be precise) and holds an iconic position on the Sino-Ludhianvi food circuit.
Despite the fact Fujiya does find favour with me, I cannot classify the food as authentic Chinese or Japanese. Plainly, its just good Indochinese/ Indo-Japanese that Fujiya offers.
So here I was once again trying to relive the nostalgia at the spanking new Fujiya Malcha Marg.
Fujiya has been recently renovated and reopened. Is it? It still gave the same feel as the last time I visited. Nothing felt like really “new”. Overstuffed tables in a limited space, Chinese wall art looked the same and the (un) private booths made me feel as if nothing had changed.
The comfortable furniture didn’t look any different too. Maybe the owners were trying to preserve the old charm. Though, I must point out the restaurant felt fresh, clean and warm. This was unlike before when I have found it to be dark and dingy. The menu book seemed to have more stuff and the prices have been hiked as well.
Fujiya – prawn steam momo
Our lunch at Fujiya started with a Mixed Meat Talumein soup that we know is not Chinese from any standpoint. This rich broth is quite a rage with Indians because of its spicy richness and the balanced mix of vegetables and meats.
However, I found the soup to be a tad salty owing to its porky quotient. For starters, we ordered Prawn Steam Momos which turned out to be dry and not worth the salt. Our main course comprised of Prawns with Garlic Sauce and Sliced Chicken with Black Pepper Sauce.
To go along with these two dishes we ordered a portion of Plain Rice as well. While the Prawns turned out to be delicious, the Sliced Chicken had sufficient Black Pepper to give us free tickets to the moon. Even liberal helping of Plain Rice was not enough to bring down the spice level on our palate.
We ordered for some Chinese Tea to cool down our burning palates. Surprisingly, Fujiya charged the tea to the bill. Any good Chinese restaurant worth its soy sauce will never charge for something as gentle like Chinese Tea. It is like charging for pickles in an Indian restaurant. But well, if it’s a policy and a part of their menu you got to pay for it.
A brief observation of the service at Fujiya. Service was not slow and neither fast. However, I found that the age-old servers had retained the same pace at before. The chap who served us has been here since the last 20 years. It took a few reminders to get their notice. However, the service got done timely. It is a paradox of sorts; a bit unexplainable.
To Sum-It-Up: Fujiya essentially remains a destination for reliving nostalgia. Better food is available at several other restaurants in neighbourhood at much reasonable prices.
12/48, Malcha Marg Market, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi
Open from: 12 Noon to 11:30 PM
Happy hours: No
Phone numbers:
Vegetarian: No :)
Cuisine: Chinese, Japanese, Seafood
Bar: Yes!
Loo on-premise: Yes & Clean
Air Conditioning: Yes
Credit Cards Accepted: Yes
Do they deliver: Yes; Locally
Takeaways Offered: Yes
Host Parties at Venue: No
Parking: Street side
WiFi: No
Live Music: No!
Television Screening: No
Outdoor Seating: No
Smoking Allowed: Yes! Street side
