The closing of one Asian restaurant in Evans has led to the expansion of another.
In May, Sally Chan, owner of Fuji Asian restaurant in the Evans Village Shopping Center on Evans to Locks Road, announced her retirement and closed the restaurant. But Manuel Ortiz, owner of Thai Kitchen, bought the restaurant as a second location – and one that promises a true Asian fusion experience, complete with sushi.
“I’ve known for a long time that I wanted to have a bigger place where my customers could be more comfortable,” Ortiz said.
Thai Kitchen has operated successfully since it opened in 2013 in the Evans Crossing Shopping Center, next to Kroger on Washington Road, but the small space contains only nine tables and four booths. The Fuji Asian location has more than twice the space. The new location opened in August and is currently serving Thai, Chinese and hibachi food.
Ortiz hopes that soon, the menu will include sushi. He served as a sushi chef in Miami before coming to the Augusta area. He said that when he saw the bar area in Fuji Asian, he knew it would work well as a sushi bar.
“I know people like sushi here,” he said.
Although the Fuji Asian sign remained in place this week, Ortiz plans to change the name. But he may wait until the sushi bar opens to decide on what the name will be.
Ortiz plans to keep both restaurants, which are only a half-mile apart, in operation. His wife, Marasri, will continue cooking at Thai Kitchen, while two other cooks from Thai Kitchen will serve as chefs at the new location. Chan will stay at Fuji Asian for a few months to help them learn Chinese and hibachi cuisine.
Chan said she is glad Ortiz bought the restaurant to serve her “very good customers.” She thinks they will enjoy the expanded menu choices.
The one slight drawback of the new location is it has limited parking in front of the restaurant. But it is part of the shopping center containing the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and Gold’s Gym, which has an extensive parking lot within easy walking distance.
But a big advantage of the new location is space for larger parties than are possible at Thai Kitchen, and Ortiz said people can make reservations.
The new location is open 11 a.m-3 p.m. for lunch and 4-10 p.m. for dinner, Tuesday-Friday, and 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Thai Kitchen is closed on Tuesdays and Ortiz said having the new location closed on Mondays allows customers to choose one of the restaurants any day of the week.
Ortiz is still in the process of setting up a website for the new location and expects to have that available in the next week or two.
