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Techy and trendy FIN.
There are two Tony’s inside the Chinese Restaurant: Tony my Korean waiter, originally from
Sea bubbles rising in a kelp bed.
Streaming mobiles fall from the ceiling to the floor representing either techno kelp or sea bubbles rising from the ocean floor. I felt like I was at the bottom of the ocean looking up. Maybe the reason Sir Paul dines here is because it reminds him of the songs, "Ocotopus at the Bottom of the Sea", or “Yellow Submarine”!
This distinguishing mobile feature is matched by the arrangement of the tables about the 150 seat restaurant. Towers of stainless steel panels with dye cut squares stamped out make the modernistic restaurant gleam. There are two private dining salons to each side of the main salon, each with seating for ten, closed off by hand-painted Chinese screen murals of cherry trees and mountains. Sir Paul dines in the private area when he craves privacy.
So here I am, and I don’t have to wait long for the service to appear, and in fact, three wait staff are falling all over themselves to serve me Fiji spring water, Merlot wine, and to chit chat. I think they are working on their English, which was superb without any lessons from me.
Take a FIN taste tour.
Now I know why Sir Paul dines here. He has been all over the world and has partaken all the top-star establishments along the way, and he knows how to pick a great restaurant. It is enough to make you want to stand up to sing and dance across the hardwood floors. A Beatles tune, of course. Now, if I can only pilfer Sir Paul's private internatoinal dining notes.
Liquid fortune cookies.
FIN has a nice list of soups and I went for the traditional Won Ton before checking out some of the other options. Chinese Herb Soup is the mainstay Soup du Jour. Then there is Vegetarian Hot and Sour Soup with Enoki Mushrooms; Shredded Dungeness Crabmeat and Corn; Shrimp and Pork Won Ton. All soups are $7 except for the Double Boiled Buddha Jump Wall which is at market price. I have to come back to find out exactly what this is. Tony, the manager, suggests that I stop back for the luncheon menu, which is a completely different fare from the dining menu. I am certain I will take him up on this offer.
Gleaming polished steel
mirrors FIN's superb service.
Daily Fish Selections (varies daily);
Other cool seafood selections from FIN include:
Wok Fried Lobster with spicy Curry Creamy Coconut Sauce (Market Price); Stir-Fried Lobster Tail with Spicy Seafood Meat Sauce and X.O. Sauce ($88); Wok-Fried Lobster Tail with Blackbean and Egg Sauce, Cantonese Style ($88); Braised Whole Fresh Abalone with seasonal vegetables ($80); Braised Whole Japanese Abalone with seasonal vegetables ($295 the most expensive item on the menu); Stir-Fried Fresh Sliced Abalone with seasonal vegetables ( $80); Stir-Fried Fresh Sliced Abalone and Sea Cucumbers ($88); Pan-Fried Scallops with Black Bean Sauce ($27.50); Crispy Fragrant Salt and Pepper Squid ($18.50); Wok-Fried Chilean Sea Bass with Scallions and Garlic ($31.50 – my choice); Light Fried Prawns with Creamy Mayonnaise, Melons and Glazed Walnuts ($26.50); Steamed Live Prawns with Garlic Sauce ($56); Pan-Fried Shrimp with Kung Pao Spicy Sauce (22.50); and Steamed Sea Bass with Cured Ham ($31.50).
Sir George McCartney LOVES dining at FIN.
After ordering the Steamed Sea Bass, Tony, my waiter, added a half portion of Chicken Fried Rice on the side ($23.50 for a full portion that would easily serve four persons). Other rice dishes included: Yang Chow ($11); Seafood and Spicy X.O. Sauce ($13.75); Shrimp Curry ($13.75); Chinese Sausage ($13.75); Dried Scallop and Egg White ($15); Fok Jau ($24.50). I have to look the last one up on the Internet.
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The two most impressive chicken entrées were Cantonese Barbecue Duck ($18.50 for half and $36 for the whole), and Imperial Peking Duck at $58. There is a nice choice of beef and pork dishes, including Mongolian Beef for only $18, or the Braised Mandarin-Style Pork Chop. Tony, the manager, stated that the Chops were his favorite menu items.
No Chinese restaurant is complete with out Clay Pot dishes and FIN has several excellent choices, including from the low priced end: Braised and Fried Tofu with Black Mushrooms and Vegetables ($14.50), to the top end: fresh sliced Abalone and Sea Cucumber at $88, or the fresh sliced Abalone, Lobster, and Mixed Seafood, also at $88. The Braised Sea Bass with Tofu and Shredded Pork is a more reasonably priced $16.50.
Reservations:
702/791-7111
Tony, the waiter, suggested that I sample for dessert the Trio of Mochi Ice Cream that included Mango, Green Tea, and Luchee. The Ice Cream was delightfully wrapped around a sort of colored dough and the coolness squished out with each bite. Tony’s other favorite dessert was Fried Bananas and Sweet Cream, but I think desserts are all his favorites. Choose Warm Tofu with Ginger Syrup, Traditional Red Bean Soup (a dessert?), or the unusual Coconut Tapioca and Pineapple Martini. All desserts are $8.
So as I followed in Sir Paul’s footsteps, so should you because FIN stands for Fresh Ingredients are Nutritious and I know you will LOVE the place..
— By Kriss Hammond, Editor, Jetsetters Magazine.
