Newly opened Fujiyama Mama on The Peak – so-so Japanese fare

Rock ’n’ roll themed izakaya looks like a fun place to visit, but service and dishes, with a few exceptions, fail to impress

SCMP Reporter

Published: 1:00pm, 6 Oct 2016

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The logo of Fujiyama Mama looks fun – a geisha face with funky bug-eye sunglasses, and a pair of chopsticks and thunderbolt in her chignon. The concept of the restaurant is Japanese with a rock ’n’ roll vibe, and the decor continues the theme with vintage album covers on the back wall and ’80s music videos playing near the entrance. A nice touch are the place mats shaped like black vinyl records with the geisha logo in the middle.

Nostalgia aside, Fujiyama Mama is also an izakaya, where diners drinkwhile nibbling on dishes.We visited soon after it opened, and the execution of the menu items we tried was inconsistent, and some dishes were unavailable.

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We were excited to see frozen draft Kirin beer on the menu, but when it arrived, it wasn’t stone cold, nor did it have a thick foam head, so we sent it back. Things improved with the raspberry shochu julep (HK$68), a refreshing concoction served in a glass with a small ice cup, and decorated with two raspberries, and the grape mojito (HK$78) made with sake, grapes, mint, lime and soda.

We started the meal with the beef tongue with spicy ponzu (HK$78). The dish was cold, whichwas disconcerting and we didn’t finish it.

Kimchi gyoza lollipops with lemon garlic mayonnaise.

The kimchi gyoza lollipops (HK$68), deep-fried dumplings on a stick that we dipped into a lemon garlic mayonnaise sauce, were better.

Fujiyama sashimi with five selections (HK$398) was fairly average, and included toro, salmon, botan shrimp and hamachi.

Next came the robata grilled wagyu skirt (HK$198) with garlic kuro-shichimi (seven spice powder). The beef was tender and thinly sliced, but it was lukewarm.

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The server forgot our order of truffle cheese croquettes (HK$78) with tomato sauce. When it finally arrived, we couldn’t detect any truffle scent, but the rectangular deep-fried packages were hot and oozing with cheese.

To finish the meal, we ordered seafood okonomiyaki (HK$138), a large savoury pancake with prawns and scallops topped with bonito flakes. It was hearty, flavourful and piping hot.

For those of us living in Hong Kong, coming to the Peak Tower to dine is a touristy experience, which made us wonder why Fujiyama Mama is here when it would be more suited to a busier area such as Tsim Sha Tsui.

And this isn’t Fujiyama Mama’s fault, but why does the Peak Tower only have one toilet on the same floor as the restaurant, when hundreds of people pass through here (including dining patrons) on a daily basis?

Fujiyama Mama

Shop 4, Level 2, The Peak Tower, 128 Peak Road, The Peak, tel: 2870 0800

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