The handroll trend has officially moved from LA to Dallas. After Namo opened up in West Village dishing out the simple ‘temaki,’ a new player, Nori Handroll Bar, came to compete. Handrolls— a simple dish of seaweed, warm rice, and cool sashimi—might just be the latest obsession to hit the Dallas food scene and I have the scoop.
I went to Nori during their soft opening after waiting a year for Chef Jimmy Park to open his next venture. Park is a former Nobu chef who helped open Pok the Raw Bar in West Village. Chef Jimmy left Pok to go out on his own and start his own shop, and nearly a year later, Nori Handroll Bar has opened up in Deep Ellum. “Nori is a temaki restaurant that focuses on the best handrolls, using seasonal fish and vegetables,” said Chef Jimmy.
Located on Elm Street, Nori is dishing out handcrafted temaki in the same brick and mortar storefront as Hyde. The restaurant features a 26-seat sushi bar where guests can order a variety of small plates as well as handrolls. Guests can order the handrolls à la carte or in groups of 3, 4, 5, or 6 if you’re super hungry.”My goal as a chef is to not compromise on quality even though we’re on the cheaper side. I’m using the same stuff we did during my Nobu days but charging way less. Nori is also different because we do free tapas. We also have ‘izakaya’ food that compliments our sake. If you’re not feeling sushi? No worries, you can always come in and enjoy rock shrimp tempura and the chicken ‘karaage,'” said Park. When I arrived, the bar was already packed with eager patrons waiting to enjoy Chef Jimmy’s new concept. I sat down and was greeted by a waitress with purple hair and she handed me a menu. My sister and I were pretty hungry so we decided to begin with the fresh big eye tuna from Hawaii dressed in ponzu sauce, chives, and gold flakes — a Chef Jimmy specialty. We also saw one of our Nobu favorites, crispy rock shrimp so we ordered that as well. The big eye tuna was so refreshing while the crispy rock shrimp offered us a spicy bite.
After enjoying the refreshing sashimi and crispy rock shrimp, it was time for the main course—the handrolls. My sister ordered the “starving” plate featuring five different rolls: salmon, spicy tuna, toro, lobster, and red crab. I settled for the “hungry” 4 roll plate which had the same rolls except the lobster. I also decided to add a specialty uni roll since I’m a fiend for fresh uni. The moment of truth — each handroll was perfectly folded with crisp seaweed and the perfect balance of warm rice and fish. Each roll was unique and full of flavor with different toppings like chives and sesame seeds. My personal favorite was the decadent uni which tasted like butter from the sea, and it was the perfect way to close our meal.
The moment of truth — each handroll was perfectly folded with crisp seaweed and the perfect balance of warm rice and fish. Each roll was unique and full of flavor with different toppings like chives and sesame seeds. My personal favorite was the decadent uni which tasted like butter from the sea, and it was the perfect way to close our meal.
If you find yourself in Deep Ellum, definitely pop into Nori Handroll bar. Their large selection of Japanese appetizers paired with the fresh handrolls a satisfying and delicious meal.