RESTAURANT REVIEW:

My friend Tania and I are convinced we could survive on a diet of sushi and dim sum. At least it seems that way because whenever we get together we are usually eating one of the two.

Driving along Pacific Coast Highway I had seen the signs for Fujiyama Restaurant and knew I would be making a stop there with my friend at some point.

Dim sum trips are involved since they require planning a drive up to Chinatown in Los Angeles. I still haven’t found decent dim sum in the area.

Sushi is a different story. There are several favorite spots, and we always have a place to go; but we were both ready for a change.

I was hoping Fujiyama would be another I could add to my list of favorites. It has a great location and outdoor seating, though with its proximity to the parking lot and the foot traffic the noise might drive you back inside.

It was a Sunday afternoon and warm so we opted for the patio dining. It was not unbearably loud, and we could carry on a conversation with no problem.

The warm up for our Sushipalooza was a California roll. The restaurant has several sushi and roll specials and this is one of them. Six pieces for $3.48, and it was a great start. The English cucumber and avocado mesh nicely with the imitation crab in this traditional piece of sushi.

The restaurant offers half-price sushi every day on a dine-in-only basis. There are 12 sushi specials and seven roll specials that are 50 percent off and should be taken advantage of. Not one of the 12 specials is more than $3 and includes yellow tail, halibut, tuna and smelt egg.

The next item was one of my favorite pieces of sushi, the Philadelphia roll. I love salmon and cream cheese, but was a little disappointed when this dish arrived. The salmon seemed a bit chewy and not as fresh as it could have been.

That should have been a tip to stay away from the salmon, but I assumed it was just that piece. We ordered salmon sashimi and found the same problem.

I wasn’t going to let that deter me from other sashimi, and I am glad I didn’t. The next dish to arrive at the table was albacore, and it was outstanding.

The two pieces of fish on a thumb-size bed of white rice also had bits of red onions and sprinkled on top were sesame seeds. A mayonnaise dressing was drizzled over it and really added to the flavor.

Specialty rolls should also not be passed up at Fujiyama. The crunchy roll, with shrimp tempura, cucumber and avocado is very good, as is the spider roll, which is baked scallop on top of a California roll.

We dabbled in a combination plate and got Korean rib steak and tempura shrimp and vegetables.

I was a bit disappointed that it is advertised as two pieces of shrimp and only one was on the plate. Also the broccoli was not tempura style, just lightly steamed and placed on the plate.

The bonus was there were two California rolls on the plate that we didn’t order.

The salad that accompanies the combination plate is served with a ginger dressing that is quite good. The salad has spinach and red leaf lettuce that blend well with the dressing.

There are dinner specials I would like to try as well. The garlic chicken and black cod, which is marinated in Japanese miso, both look tempting.

This is a good, serviceable, inexpensive place for sushi. The quality is adequate, though not as good as others I have had. I don’t know if it will make the rotation, but it is a worthy substitute if I am ready for a change from my regular sushi haunts.

JOHN REGER is the Pilot’s restaurant critic. His reviews run Thursdays.