Fu Means ‘Good Luck!’
Lunch Parties $15pp, $150 per table of 10 Dinner Parties $30pp, $300 per table of 10, includes soup, app, entree, dessert & tea
Host-owner Kevin Lin, came to the U.S. in 1999, from Fujian, China (hence the name Fu) & spoke Mandarin Chinese as he began his US career, working in his uncle’s restaurant & learning English in the process. He soon opened Cheng Du 23, in the West Belt Plaza, of Wayne, NJ & received raves both on-line & from critics. Fu, which means good luck, opened in November of 2014, serving traditional Shanghai & Asian Fusion specialties with splendid Dim Sum on the weekend.
Shanghai cuisine, known as Hu cuisine, is also called Benbang cuisine. It originated in Shanghai & refers to complex styles of cooking influenced by the surrounding provinces of Jiangsu & Zhejiang. It takes “color, aroma & taste” as its elements & emphasizes the use of seasonings. Fu utilizes a very high quality of raw materials & retains the original flavors. Shanghai cuisine is the youngest among the ten major cuisines in China though, with a history of more than 400 years. Healthy is important. The cookery is more delicate & utilizes high quality, expensive products. This means the use of fresh ingredients & quality fruits & vegetables. Shanghai dishes are usually characterized by the use of highly flavored sauces with tastes fresh, mellow & sweet.
The critic’s table found this restaurant to be intimate & friendly, with service & cuisine that one would expect at a luxury restaurant. Tranquility, fair prices & good taste rule, due to the watchful eye of host-owner Kevin Lin, who opened just a few months ago. Fu offers a seasonal menu of truly imaginative dishes, not often seen in the entire Jersey area. The success of these dishes is partly due to the superb presentation of the authentic recipes & partly because of the experience & extensive training of the chefs, who are masters of magical Asian cookery. The kitchen exhibited uncompromising quality & is definitely a cut above any in the area. I discovered that this Asian Dream Team regards Chinese cookery as a creative challenge.
Some of the stars on the very authentic Asian menu are the intriguing Steamed Juice Bun & Crab Meat ($8), that is a must, the tender Chicken Satay ($6), the luscious Shanghai Marinated Duck ($8) & the glorious Seafood Dumplings, all delicately delicious appetizers. Shanghai dishes I heartily recommend are the awesome Salted Pork & Vegetable Rice ($10) & the remarkable Pumpkin & Salted Egg Yolk ($14). Both are unique, creatively constructed & brilliantly flavored. Asian Fusion, imported from Thailand dishes, to try, are the superb Mild Mango Sauce, with chicken, pork or beef ($15), or prawns, or scallops ($18). I loved the Thai Basil Sauce with Prawns ($18) & the sumptuous & perfectly prepared Pad Thai with chicken ($10). The Sesame Chicken is another winner & you must try the Fu Winery Sweet Ball Soup for dessert ($7). Kevin Lin knows value along with top quality.
The price is a true gift. Whether one chooses to have a dazzling dinner, a light lunch meeting or a large party, or a corporate event, I am sure that this dream team will create an Asian presentation, whether a party tray to take out, or in the dining room, that is definitely unmatched, in the entire area. This is a place where love & skill work together. Expect a masterpiece each time you visit. The chefs’ innovative translations of seasonal specialties are always a magic carpet ride of good tastes, with specialties that are a delicious synthesis of taste & design.
GAIL SAYS “GO!”