So I went to Fada last night for a friend's birthday celebration (and by celebration I mean there were only 4 of us) but we went there to try the Bouillabaisse which as some of you might know is a traditional Provençal fish stew originating from the port city of Marseille. You have to order it a day ahead and they'll cook it for you for a whole day.
We first got the fish soup and that was good and tasty, even though the garlic spread they brought with the toasted breads left all of us feeling a bit nauseous. (it was too heavy and creamy)
Then came the main entry, with 5 different kinds of fish, mussels, red snapper, lobster and few other kinds.
Now, I grew up in a country where I could eat fresh fish within 10 minutes of being caught so I have to admit I am very spoiled when it comes to the quality of fish. In all of new york, I still haven't found the fish I'd like to on a daily basis have and I've tried many upscale restaurants. It's just hardly ever fresh.. but I've had better luck with French restaurants because the few French places I've been, I felt like, spent time and money picking their meat and fish and I was usually left satisfied.
Now this place is I guess known for their specialty of Bouillabaisse and the broth that the fish was served in was tasteless. They hadn't salted the fish at all and the red snapper had turned a faded salmon color.. it was far from red, it was chewy and tasteless. The lobster was also chewy and again the broth it came in was just disappointing. It had no spices, no salt and just no taste in general. I am not sure how else to describe it.
When I asked the server the history of the dish she said ""oh I have no idea.. that's a good question"" she did later admit it was her first week there or whatever, but don't they train the staff anymore?
I asked for the manager who could not be found, I checked their website for contact info and couldn't find an email so here I am leaving this review.
Our bill was around 200 which I think is pretty pricey for less than mediocre French food. Fada, I hope you'll read this and talk to the chef about salting the food and adding some taste to it! We won't be back..
Pros: Nice interior, attentive staff
Cons: the fish isn't fresh and staff doesn't know how to serve
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