Bringing Ocean Freshness to Merrifield
The new sushi restaurant is a hop, skip, and jump away from MOSAIC in Merrifield, an area that is truly booming with great restaurants, bars and shopping. Passion Fin is a welcome addition to a growing neighborhood jam-packed with great choices for food and drink.
Passion Fin is new and chic, featuring sushi as its main offering, as well as Chinese and Thai dishes. This is the kind of place that is perfect for groups (for the many offices nearby) because there is so much to choose from. Beyond sushi, there are dishes like General Tso’s Chicken, Hibachi lunch specials featuring seafood, steak and/or chicken, as well as many other Asian selections.
The restaurant is simple and clean and the staff warm and friendly. When my friend and I walked in, the young hostess warmly greeted us and quickly showed us to a table. We were then taken care of by a waiter who spent lots of time making sure we were happy and comfortable.
My friend and I met to catch up, so we decided to snack our way through lunch so we could try a few things on the menu. Passion Fin has beer, wine, and exotic cocktails on the menu. Since it was 11:30 on a Monday morning, we settled for Japanese strawberry sodas. The bottles are uniquely designed with a marble in the top that you are supposed to try to get out (I never figured out how!). In Japan, these sodas are popular at festivals. Surprisingly, they are delicious — even for adults!
We ordered the gyoza and the chicken lettuce wraps to begin. Both were very good. The gyoza are dumplings filled with juicy, flavorful pork and steamed, pan-fried, and served with a savory dipping sauce. The chicken lettuce wraps are another nice appetizer to share – sautéed chicken and veggies served in a sweet sauce served with cool, crunchy lettuce leaves. Nice and light.
After our appetizers, we decided to split one of their three-roll platters (served with your choice of soup or salad). We selected one that featured salmon rolls, tuna rolls, and California rolls. They were as fresh as the ocean and delicious! I especially enjoyed the California rolls as they were made with the perfect amount of rice and cut in manageable pieces making them easier to eat – which doesn’t always happen with sushi rolls!
This place is a great lunch place for the folks that work in the surrounding offices and a great dinner place for those that live in the bevy of apartments that have sprung up the past few years. As a matter of fact, Passion Fin is a great place for families, friends, and co-workers. What else could you ask for?
Passion Fin
2750 A Gallows Road
Merrifield, VA 22180
703-204-2969
www.passionfinmerrifield.com
