Zest 817 Reviews // Ashim's Dreams

Zest 817 // Review

Ashim’s Dreams

The new hibachi restaurant brings welcome variety to downtown.

BY ANDREW MARTON

OK, let’s get one aspect of Ashim’s Hibachi Grill cleared up pronto: Yeah, it may say “Hibachi” in its name, but the newish downtown eatery bears exactly zero resemblance to the spatula-clanging, shrimp-flipping, veggie-marauding that goes on at that world-famous hibachi chain.

In fact, it is the myriad ways that Ashim’s differs from Benihana that make it such a compelling place to frequent. Its history alone should convince most who frolic among the nearby fountains of Sundance Square to check it out.

A grill cook at Ashim’s Hibachi Grill adds oil to the flame as he cooks an onion at this nontraditional hibachi.

PHOTO BY CRYSTAL WISE

In a bow to Fort Worth’s growing diversity, Ashim’s, which opened last November in a long-vacant space cat- ty-corner to The Tower, is the American dream come true for a family from Kazakhstan. Brothers and cofounders Medet and Assamad Ashim have brought their often-tasty, hibachi-fired Japanese-esque dishes to Fort Worth after leaving the land of Borat.

Enter Ashim’s, and there isn’t a scin- tilla of homogenous, corporatized design to the interior. That’s no coincidence as the Ashims took nine months to install and hand-build everything from a grease trap to every stick of furniture.

Ashim’s floor-to-ceiling windows flood the dining room with natural light.

PHOTO BY CRYSTAL WISE

The brothers carved and laminated old castoff wood into Caribbean-in- spired low-slung tables, stools (done in beachy tints of turquoise, yellow, and red), and pendant lamps –– with one housing a disco ball all but screaming the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.

That same no frills, D.I.Y. aesthetic inspires the cooking at Ashim’s, which has fully embraced the fast-casual routine of quick ordering and quicker delivery of food to your table.

To be sure, Michelin-star-seeking foodies won’t be making a detour to sample Ashim’s menu. But its food isn’t designed for culinary snobs. Rather, its quality relies on a handmade authenticity and the chefs’ firm command of the classic hibachi flattop grill –– and on their mastery of the bamboo sushi roller.

“The newish downtown eatery bears exactly no resemblance to the spatulaclanging, shrimp-flipping, veggie marauding that goes on at that world-famous hibachi chain.”

PHOTO BY CRYSTAL WISE

Among my three starters, it was the two sushi numbers that outshone the third appetizer of perfectly greaseless, if forgettable, Panko-breaded shrimp-andveggie tempura.

But back to that sushi: Honestly, I hadn’t tasted such a beguiling spider roll in about a decade. The little rounds of seaweed encased a trove of sticky rice, thin batons of cucumber, avocado, and the true prize of shards of deep-fried softshell crab that propelled the entire roll into a sushi stratosphere.

The Philadelphia Roll's "intrinsic richness was offset by the citrus tinge of its sticky sushi rice."

PHOTO BY CRYSTAL WISE

The Philadelphia roll profited from its luscious cream cheese filling. In fact, the cheese, sequestered under a translucent layer of seaweed paper, all but dominated the roll’s other ingredients of smoked salmon, cucumber, crabstick, and avocado. The roll’s intrinsic richness was offset by the citrus tinge of its sticky sushi rice. Both rolls mingled beautifully with the wasabi paste-soy mixture I concocted in a shallow bowl.

The hibachi grilling temperature of at least 450 degrees imparted all the desired burnished skin, smokiness, if the occasional dryness, to both my chicken and shrimp dishes. While the chicken boasted a spicy teriyaki glaze, the shrimp brought more intriguing taste thanks to its garlic butter and soy coating.

Ashim’s chicken boasted a spicy teriyaki glaze.

PHOTO BY CRYSTAL WISE

And whenever a hibachi pick-meup was in order, that’s when the house’s “Yum Yum” sauce rode in like a culinary white knight to enliven the dish. The secret house sauce, a meld of mayonnaise, carrots, onions, garlic, and parsley flakes –– the only ingredients I could pry loose from the discreet kitchen staff –– perked up any of the hibachi-fired offerings.

The veggie sides (broccoli, carrots, onions, zucchini, and mushrooms), along with Japanese yakisoba stir-fry noodles –– each angel-hair strand painted in a savory-sweet Worcestershire-tinted sauce –– also did the kitchen proud.

The Thai-rolled ice cream was one of the most artisanal dishes of the entire meal. Using a reverse flattop, where instead of heat, the surface attained a well-below-freezing temperature, co-owner Medet gently froze a combination of milk, condensed milk, and syrup before forming the confection into rose petal-shaped strawberry-flavored ice cream studded with bits of fresh strawberry.

Our critic found the Thai-rolled ice cream to be “one of the most artisanal dishes of the entire meal.”

PHOTO BY CRYSTAL WISE

I can’t recall the last time I was so entertained by the hand-crafting of a dessert, which imparted the pleasing texture of soft-serve ice cream and was tinted a shade of Bazooka bubblegum pink.

The brothers Ashim are not content to stop with hibachi. They have plans to open an Asian-themed convenience store next door. Its tentative name is 717, for the seven days a week, 17 hours a day that they plan on being open. That’s as clear an indication as any that the Ashims intend on being a restaurant force in downtown Fort Worth for some time.

Who

Ashim’s Hibachi Grill

Where

424 Taylor St, FW 214-283-9122

Entree Prices

$6.95-$8.95. All major credit cards accepted.

Don’t-Miss Dishes

Spider roll, Philadelphia roll, shrimp hibachi, Thai-rolled ice cream

Vibe

Homey, DIY, welcoming

When

12pm-10pm Sun, 11am-12am Mon-Thu, 11am-3am Fri-Sat

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