On the fin

Finbomb Sushi Burrito & Poke Bar offers oversized sushi hand rolls, raw fish rice bowls and ramen noodle soups. During our recent visit, my family dinner group of six was met with two very midtown issues: the hunt for a parking space and a shop with far more customers than seats to put them in.

We ordered from a list of signature bowls and wraps, starting with a pair of sushi rice burritos ($11.95 each). The Hook Up included tempura shrimp, spicy tuna, surimi crab, cucumber, guacamole, crispy wonton strips, sweet chipotle mayo and unagi sauce. The rice-to-fillings ratio was a bit starch-heavy, but the crunchy bits provided a nice textural juxtaposition.

While trying to order the F Bomb—ahi tuna, yellowtail, salmon, cucumber, red onion, cilantro, masago, wonton strips and unagi sauce—the boss of the line asked, “You like spicy crab?” Producing a half-completed burrito with rice paper, he said, “Extra ahi, and I’ll add nori.” He moved forward by repurposing something already started, so we just rolled with it. Biting through two wrap layers was tough, and the burrito came with very little salmon and no yellowtail. That’s what you get for rollin’ with it.

We ordered three regular size poke bowls ($12.95 each), starting with a Caterpillar featuring freshwater eel, cucumber, avocado, surimi crab, tobiko, edamame, wonton strips and unagi sauce. The rice was so sticky it formed a brick in the bottom of the bowl. There was plenty of unagi and krab, but the chunks of long fish had a faint whiff of bread mold—not my favorite.

Next was a Rainbowl with ahi, salmon, yellowtail, surimi, avocado, green onion, cucumber, seaweed salad, tobiko, wonton strips and unagi sauce. The tuna’s texture and scent were less than fresh and had a really unpleasant aftertaste. We ate the rest of the bowl and said a silent prayer. Oddly, my grandson’s Hawaiian bowl of ahi, green onion, cucumber, pineapple, seaweed salad, edamame, avocado, tobiko, fried onion and poke sauce seemed fresher, though he hit an unexpected spot of wasabi, which was bit much for the 3-year-old (and not listed on the menu). He moved on to helping with a bowl of ramen.

Speaking of noodles, those in our two ramen bowls ($11.95 each) were definitely dried and reconstituted. In the midst of dinner rush we were told, “the water isn’t ready, but I can microwave it.” Both bowls included paitan “white” broth. The first also featured chashu pork loin, soboro—ground seasoned pork—shitake mushrooms, bean sprouts, green onion, seasoned egg, garlic oil, sweet corn and togarashi, a Japanese chili spice blend. The broth itself was flavorful, though not very warm. The veggies were good. The pork loin was nice, and the ground bits tasted a bit like breakfast sausage—in a good way. In general it worked, though the spice-sprinkled, boiled egg was a disappointment. Once you’ve had ramen with the jellied yolk of a Japanese seven-minute egg, nothing else compares.

The other bowl came with a garlic lime shrimp mixture that included cocktail-sized crustaceans, sesame garlic oil, red ginger, bok choy, green onion, cilantro, sweet corn, seasoned egg, chili sauce and fresh lime on the side. Both ramen bowls were ordered “spicy,” but while the flavors were good, neither had any discernible heat. The noodles were just OK, though not overcooked. Despite the tepid broth, pedestrian noodles and boring eggs, the ramen was easily the best part of our meal. Ω