newsminer.com

FAIRBANKS -- From the moment you enter Ajimi, be prepared for surprises.

Recent remodeling has lightened the interior and created a serene and elegant space that’s both family friendly and welcoming to the serious diner. The menu also has been remodeled and features all kinds of sushi, tempura, bento and a few Korean specialties.

On the way to your table, be sure to check out the sushi bar. Actually, the sushi chefs will be checking you out — they have a friendly greeting and amusing comment for just about every customer who passes. The beautiful seafood on display is nothing less than dazzling, and though the clever patter and jokes fly as fast as the knives, you’ll see each item is prepared with exquisite care. Watching the sushi being made while you wait for your order to arrive is one of the best surprises at Ajimi; the chefs welcome comments and are eager to teach you the finer points of becoming a sushi connesieur.

The crew I’d gathered recently was eager to dig into dinner, so the appetizer menu caught our attention first. We chose two standards: the five-piece gyoza plate ($6.95) and the house egg rolls ($4.50 for two). The gyoza were fine, but not particularly memorable, while the egg rolls were crisp, hot and well filled. The tomago ($5 for two pieces) I added to the appetizer order at the last minute was one of the evening’s best surprises. An innocent-looking combination of sweet egg cake and wonderfully seasoned sushi rice wrapped in a ribbon of nori (crispy seaweed), the combination of unusual textures and the unexpected taste of sweet egg sent my tastebuds into overdrive. Every time I’ve gone back to Ajimi, I’ve had this for my appetizer and demanded everyone else get their own so I don’t have to share.

The satisfying Beef Bulgogi ($14.95) comes with steamed rice and miso soup. A Korean classic of barbecue beef and onions in a special sauce, this fragrant dish had us all wondering about the deliciously dense and flavorful sauce lightly coating the tender beef. Served on a stone plate so it stays sizzling hot, the Bulgogi disappeared in record time amid sighs of bliss.

I was eager to try an order of tempura ($13.95 with four shrimp, two onion and two sweet potato tempura pieces) also accompanied by the house miso soup. The soup was luscious and free of a heavy dose of salt so the delicate flavor really came through. The shrimp were exceptionally fresh and large, and the tempura batter is ethereal — so crisp and light it seems impossible that it clings to the shrimp as long as it does. Our server brought a huge portion of assorted tempura vegetables — far more than what was listed on the menu and said the tempura chef thought we’d enjoy the variety, a thoughtful gesture we certainly appreciated, and yet another surprise.

In fact, during both of my visits to Ajimi, little bits and pieces of exquisite food kept arriving from either the smiling sushi chefs or the kitchen and not just to our table. Our server was so gracious when offering these little treats — as if we were helping her out by trying a sample plate between courses. This element of surprise kept anticipation keen at our table. Each sample plate came with a short explanation from our server who showed genuine delight in our tasting adventure.

We had to wait a bit for the arrival of one of the house specialties, the Rainbow Ajimi Roll ($11.95), but it was worth every minute as it literally took our breath away when it was placed on the table. The beautiful presentation arched over the plate like a rainbow and brought comments of “it’s too pretty to eat.”

Wrapped inside boldly seasoned rice layers were thinly sliced cucumber, fresh crab, avocado, salmon, tuna and snapper. The avocado garnish created a bold mix of flavors that everyone at the table who loved sushi enjoyed immensely. Served with a bit of bright pickled ginger and industrial strength wasabi on the side, this would be a lovely dish to share or order as takeout for a party.

Ajimi offers a Bento Box series with a nice variety of choices. We chose Box B ($16.95), which came with teriyaki chicken, two shrimp, three sushi, one California roll and is accompanied by soup and salad.

My good friend, the Bento Box Babe who only makes her own bento for lunch most days and has studied the craft for some time, was eager to see what would arrive. Variety is key in bento, so she was looking for taste, color, variety of shape and overall beauty.

We agreed Ajimi has the flavor thing down; each mouthful was a delight of mixed textures and flavors. The variety of shapes passed inspection, too, from crescent gyoza and spiky shrimp tempura to mounded salad.

Colors were mostly neutral, instead of the traditional five distinct bento colors: white, green, red, blue/black, orange/yellow. Surprised? I was, too, because I thought bento just meant tossing things into the cute little sections in a bento tray.

My friend was careful to say several times how wonderful all the food tasted and that each chef chooses different ways of honoring the tradition. She also said she’d be back in a New York minute to have the same bento again — it was that good.

The hands-down winner for me was my order of Ajimi’s Chicken Yakisoba ($12.95). As one of my guests pointed out, they don’t substitute cheaper Italian pasta for the noodles. The yakisoba really used soba, and they were cooked correctly and served incredibly hot and well sauced. The portion was generous, and we all agreed the sauce was sinfully addictive. None of us could keep our chopsticks out of the platter for more than a minute. The few slices of tender chicken scattered about the dish were tasty, but for us they were mostly distraction from the wonderful noodles.

As dinner concluded, dessert didn’t even sound good, but our server, who by that time was practically a close, personal friend, tempted us with the tempura green tea ice cream ($6.95). We moaned and groaned, then decided to share one order. After the first bite, we were glad we did. The tea ice cream was yet another surprise on this most surprising of evenings. Lightly coated with panko and quickly fried, the combination of warm savory crust and the delicately flavored light green ice cream was a smashing combination and the perfect conclusion to this nearly perfect meal.

I’ve only touched the surface on the large variety of sushi and sashimi on the Ajimi menu, and I recommend you stop in soon and check it out, especially if you’re a seafood fan. Be prepared for exquisite service, a pleasant atmosphere and reasonable prices. After just two visits, I feel like a regular, and I can’t wait to return. I have a feeling Ajimi still has many surprises left to reveal.

Joyce McCombs considers reservations her favorite thing to make for dinner. She lives and writes in Delta Junction with her husband of 25 years, Steve.