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Fin Japanese Restaurant
1253 Post Road
Fairfield
203-255-6788

By STAFF

Fairfield County Weekly

Published: 9/16/05

Given the price of seafood these days--what with overfishing and pollution pushing many species toward extinction--it's gotten to be an extravagance to go out for sushi. But somehow that's not the case at Michael Shi's brand-new Fin, a friendly neighborhood sushi bar and restaurant that opened about six weeks ago on the Post Road across from the post office in downtown Fairfield.

Shi doesn't scrimp on the quality of his fish, either. He has it flown in daily from Europe, Japan and other parts of Asia. And I will vouch for its freshness, at least in the assortment of sushi I sampled there on a recent week night. The feat he pulls off at his family run establishment is to offer immaculate sushi at better-than-reasonable prices. House specialty rolls are all under $10; even an assemblage that features tempura lobster, avocado and cucumber is only $8.25. The popular rainbow roll, which features five kinds of fish arrayed over a California roll, here costs a mere $9.25; I've seen it offered in gourmet groceries for as much as five bucks more. The standard sushi rolls are an even better deal: California rolls, $3.95; yellowtail and scallion, $4.50--even a spider roll (soft shell crab) for $6.95, which is at least $2 less than you'll find at any sushi restaurant in Fairfield County.

Fin reminds me of my favorite sushi restaurant, which was housed in the same building as a hot tub spa called Watercourse Way in Palo Alto, Calif. This peaceful oasis in the heart of Silicon Valley was my favorite place to go to relax, take a long soak, perhaps get a massage, and then feast on sushi--which, with its clean, fresh, subtle flavors, seemed the only thing appropriate to put into your body after such serene ablutions. I've often wondered why no such combination exists on the East Coast (that I'm aware of). It must be a zoning thing. Or perhaps a Yankee aversion to hedonism. Well, anyway, Fin could only be improved upon if it had a spa component added to it. But we can't have everything, can we?

Nevertheless, Fin has a great vibe one can sense from the instant you enter the place. Simple, polished wood tables and chairs, some with bench seating that are softened by a few throw pillows. A small sushi bar that seats perhaps five or six and a small patio that's enclosed by lattice gives diners a reprieve from the Post Road traffic. But the good vibe doesn't come from the tasteful art decorating the walls so much as it does from the friendly staff, who haven't forgotten the value of a smile and who are truly interested in pleasing their guests.

The menu has all the expected items one looks for when going out for sushi, but it also has some interesting quirks, such as a listing of dim sum that, in addition to offering the standard gyoza, also features curried crab & sweet corn dumplings ($4), spicy shrimp and mango wrapped in rice paper skins ($4.95), and shrimp tempura with jalapeno in rice paper wrappers ($4.95).

In addition to the de riguer miso soup, Fin serves a "spicy" kimchee soup. If you've ever tried the briny, and notoriously spicy, Korean condiment made from fermented vegetables, you would have been prepared to have your socks knocked off. Unfortunately, no such thing happened upon tasting this soup, a bland assemblage of Chinese cabbage and udon, which lacked anything to distinguish it, much less punch.

I'm happy to report it was the only dud we experienced during the meal. The usuzukuri appetizer ($8) made up for the misbegotten soup. Fluke, so thinly sliced as to be transparent, was layed out in strips, forming a circle atop a deep-green shiso leaf, its serrated edges peaking out from beneath. A judicious amount of citrusy ponzu sauce was drizzled over the fish--just enough not to overpower the delicate flavor of the fluke, or, for that matter, of the wonderfully aromatic shiso. Also known as perilla, beefsteak plant, or oba in Japanese, shiso combines the flavors of mint and basil, with hints of citrus, cilantro and cumin. One Silicon Valley chef dubbed it "aromatherapy in a leaf." My taste buds thrill whenever I find it on a sushi plate. I wish it were used more often instead of those nasty green plastic dividers.

The pan fried pork gyoza were also a cut above--juicy, highly seasoned pork filling in a dumpling that was thin rathter than doughy.

We continued with a selection of sushi from the a la carte listing, the standout being the suzuki , or striped bass, which is running right now off our own coastline.

We ended with tempura ice cream--green tea and red bean--which is fried ice cream, the most incongruent thing you can imagine. Next time, I'll order the red bean plain, and enjoy just the texture of the whole red beans playing off the creamy sweetness.

Given the value Fin offers, there's no question that there will be a next time.

By LUANNE ROY

Fairfield County Weekly

Published: 8/18/2005



Anyone who eats sushi knows that half the experience lies in the presentation. And Michael Shi, owner of Fairfield's newest Japanese restaurant, claims that his creations are a particularly unique lot.



Fin's menu boasts a long list of special house rolls with catchy names like "Out of Control," which consists of spicy salmon and cucumber inside, with tuna and yellowtail outside, and "Lovely Couple," which is made with shrimp tempura inside and spicy tuna outside. Some of the specials, like "Godzilla" and "Red Sun," are named to describe their appearance. The "Red Sun" roll is made to look like the setting sun, and "Godzilla" looks like the famed gargantuan creature.



Besides the pleasing appearance of his food, Shi maintains that it has to have extraordinary flavor. "I like to make [people] smile," he says. One thing he likes to do is combine hot items with cold ones, like inserting warm tempura lobster inside a roll that's surrounded by avocado, cucumber, mayo and tobiko.



Fin's menu also contains items for the non-sushi lovers, such as Asian dim sum, "Kitchen" appetizers (which Shi describes as cooked items as opposed to raw items), plus a full list of hot entrees, such as grilled salmon, shrimp, chicken or rib-eye teriyaki, and shrimp or vegetable tempura.



The common denominator for all of Fin's dishes is freshness, a condition that Shi notes is paramount in his business. Much of his fish is flown in daily from Japan, as well as other European and Asian countries.



The restaurant space is small and intimate. The sushi bar seats about a dozen people, where you can watch the chef create his works of art.



They also have a small, outdoor patio dining area, which is nice given that the restaurant is located in the heart of downtown Fairfield, directly in front of the Brick Walk.

Hours: Lunch Mon.-Sat., 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Dinner Mon.-Thu., 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 5 p.m.-11 p.m. Sun., 4 p.m.-9:30 p.m.

Extras:

Bestsellers "Out of Control," "Lovely Couple," "Godzilla" and "Red Sun" Cuisine Asian, Japanese/Sushi Meals Served Lunch, Dinner Outdoor Seating Patio seating available. Parking Parking lot available. Payment Method Price Range Inexpensive Reservations Recommended Services Catering, Private Parties, Carry Out Spirits Full Bar Wheelchair Access Yes