You really want to root for FAWA, the new Upper Montclair restaurant whose name is an acronym for French Asian With Art. The restaurant is attractive, minimalistic and sleek, with interesting lighting and shiny surfaces that somehow manage to convey "Zen" and "money" simultaneously. And who could object to a new sushi restaurant in town that also offers some grownup dinner plates like sea bass and and filet mignon?
The problem with FAWA is not with the taste. To start, we chose edamame and the yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno appetizer, a melt-in-your-mouth experience with just the right amount of kick. And for the main course, we had grilled Chilean sea bass and tropical lobster. The lobster came in a sauce that married sweet tropical fruit juices with green curry, and the sea bass came piled on a tight little pile of mushroom, asparagus and champagne sauce. Both dishes were colorful, tasty and distressingly petite. And neither came with rice, or anything else.
At most restaurants, these main-course meals might pass as appetizers, and you would be delighted to start a meal this way. But these were intended -- and priced -- as main courses. At the end of our meal, I was as hungry as when I'd started. I couldn't imagine what a steak-and-potatoes man might make of the repast.
So we ordered more.
For our second main course, we chose two specialty sushi rolls, the Tiger and the Volcano. Finally, some rice! The Tiger, which includes four kinds of fish as well as tempura, tobiko, scallion and special sauce, was especially tasty and presented dramatically on a long, narrow dish. Finally, my appetite was sated.
Some friends of ours, who ate at the restaurant the week following our expedition, were similarly surprised by the lack of rice with the main courses. They also got into a "Curb Your Enthusiasm" fight with restaurant over a dessert that was supposed to have a molten center. When they complained that there was nothing molten in the dessert's center, the waitress brought another one. And when that one lacked anything molten as well, they tried refusing to pay -- but were told they'd eaten it and would have to. They did pay for one dessert, but the experience left, as they say, a bad taste.
For goodness sake, don't bring the children to this restaurant; it's way too expensive to enjoy with any less-than-discriminating eaters (unless their trust funds are paying). It took us $130 to fill up two female adults.
The view from window of FAWA is the venerable Dai-Kichi, Montclair's first sushi restaurant, with a sign boasting its 20th anniversary. It is hard to imagine FAWA making it to such a ripe old age.
FAWA is located at 605 Valley Road, Upper Montclair. 973.233.1688.
Ouch!