Situated in the Great Western Arcade in Birmingham is a little hidden sushi treasure. Sushi Passion was originally located in the Indoor Market in Birmingham and it’s opening times were seriously restricted by the market trading hours. This means that I’ve never been able to visit since it was always closed by 5pm. When it moved to a new premises, I could finally make a visit after work and it’s now a frequent haunt of mine!
When it comes to authenticity, don’t let the (fantastic) Polish sushi chef and kitschy Samurai warrior in the corner put you off. I’ve seriously yet to eat sushi anywhere that compares to this little restaurant in the UK, I’m sure they exist but for Birmingham this place is unbeatable. Sushi passion has several different types of seating – traditional tatami mats, table and bar and once seated, it’s time to order! Firstly the sushi is awesome and beautifully presented. It’s super fresh and if you are seated at the Bar, you can see the sushi being swiftly hand moulded right in front of you (as well as receiving miso soup via a little train, a much cuter version of conveyer belt sushi!) It’s also extremely good value compared to London sushi restaurants and the usual fast food sushi chains. A party sushi selection for two people (served on the bridge in the pic below) comes with miso soup and refillable green tea and priced at £44, so at £22 per person, it’s not that bad at all.
If you’re ever in Birmingham, be sure to visit this place as it is hands down, the best sushi in the city and beats the city’s alternatives (Yo Sushi, Ocean Dragon, Shogun Teppanyaki) by miles and miles. You need to book as the small restaurant gets pretty full and they don’t serve any hot sides (sorry – no tempura!). I’ve been back several times now and the sushi is awesome every single time. Fun fact? They create sushi birthday cakes – SUSHI birthday cakes. I don’t know about you, but that’s all the convincing I need…
