Fu Lam Mum

NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 08 Apr 1999 13:55:10 EDT
Date: Thu, 08 Apr 1999 10:55:46 -0800
Xref: alexander.INS.CWRU.Edu ba.food:37310

When an old friend said she wanted a whole fish yesterday, the first place I thought of was Fu Lam Mum. I hadn't been there in quite a few years (I remember when Pearl River was still at that location on Castro Street in Mountain View), and thought it might be worth another try.

It wasn't.

We *were* able to pick out a rock cod, and they *did* serve it to us, after the waiter convinced us that the right thing to do was to make soup from the head. OK.

The soup was not bad: a large bowl of milky fish broth. On the side, they served the remains of the head, along with a few mushrooms, a little tofu, and celery. The fish was undercooked, though, by which I mean that it was all but impossible to remove the flesh from the bones.

My friend asked for water.

Next came a dish of pea sprouts sauteed with garlic. My friend asked for water again, and I asked the waiter if he would please bring us the steamed rice. We also asked for fresh plates.

Next, the fish arrived. Have you ever had a really great steamed fish? This wasn't it. Not an attractive presentation, either, but never mind that. Just a greasy sauce ("steamed with ginger and scallion"), fish nearly done.

We asked again for rice, water, and fresh plates. When the plates arrived, we asked again for water and rice, and before too much longer, they arrived. Around this time, I opened the top of the teapot to indicate it was empty.

Well, that's it, folks. We did get the water and the rice, and the waiter, who tried to convince us the rock cod, at around three pounds, was too big for two people to eat, was surprised to see that we finished most of it (listen, some of it just stuck to the bones). The waiter removed the teapot and left it at the next table.

Done properly, this might have been a simple, elegant, and healthful meal. Done poorly, it was a hassle. I won't bother going back.

Oh, I almost forgot: the check: $64 and change, plus tip. Now I did ask several times, while looking at the fish tank, whether they charged by the fish or by the pound, and didn't receive a straight answer until I questioned the check. ($16 a pound for rock cod; good thing we didn't order lobster...or does it cost less?)

Next time I want to drop $30-40 per person on a simple meal, it'll be at Left Bank or Cafe Brioche. Of course, there's no fortune cookie at these places, either, but at least the service is good and they know how to cook a piece of fish.

PS: Is there a decent place for live fish, well prepared at a reasonable price, here in the Greater Palo Alto Co-Prosperity Sphere, now that Treasure Pot has gone under?

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* Gary Sloane   [email removed] *
* ERRATA: For errata read erratum *
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