Kanpai, Japanese in Rosslyn

[phoqueen]

Hi all,

I'm new to the board, so I thought I'd say Hi! ::waves:: And I wanted to suggest a great sushi place in Rosslyn called Kanpai (it means Cheers! in Japanese). They also own Bonsai in Shirlington I believe. I'm on an neverending quest for good sushi and this place has wonderful fresh fish, the staff is always nice, and the sushi chefs will make you things not on the menu. Try it out!

--p

[Joshua Grinnell]

Milady and I prefer Kanpai to Cafe Asia up the street, but I'd be interested to know if any sushi snobs have an opinion on the place. The avocado rolls come with chunks of avocado instead of creamed mess, for one, but that's not really a snob argument. I just like avocado.

[hillvalley]

We discovered Kanpai by accident and it has become our go to place for sushi in Rosslyn. I love the location and being able to spend an evening sitting outside, munching away without much car traffic whizzing by.

The menu is a nice combination of usual favorites on evey Japanese menu around here and then some more traditional dishes that are hard to find such as Yaki O Nigiri (a grilled rice ball wrapped in seaweed). The Rose Garden sashimi is a steal-16 pieces of sashimi for $13.50 with the fish presented in a shape of a rose. It's beautiful and delicious. We usually order that and a couple of appetizers for our meal.

They also have natto on the menu, which is a must for me if I am going to be a regular. On our first visit the waitress was concerned that I didn't know what I was getting myself into but I reassured her that natto was exactly what I wanted. It was the +1's first time trying natto and the waitresses watched with amusement as he took his first bite, decided he liked it and finished most of the roll

By our second visit we were treated like old friends and were asked if we wanted natto.

This winter I am looking forward to trying the donburi and udon selections.

The only trouble we have had is a communication problem when ordering a sushi combination. The +1 doesn't eat shellfish so trying to subsitute anything for octopus, eel, and shrimp caused some problems. Not because they weren't willing but because I don't know how to explain the laws of Kosher in Japanese.

It is definitely worth walking a couple of extra blocks to forgo Cafe Asia for Kanpai and if you are driving there is plenty of parking right next door.

[Jimmy Chandler]

I'm now working near Rosslyn and am wondering if anyone has been here recently and can recommend it still.

[stickmoon]

I think it's fine for lunch. They have the standard options, bento boxes, sushi or sashimi with small bowl of adequate miso soup and salad with gloppy orange dressing. It gets busy for lunch (though deadly quiet for dinner), but I have always been able to get a seat at the bar. Service tends to forget to refill your water, clear your plate, bring your check, etc.