JANUARY: Nori Handroll Bar

I'm finally back from a long break from blogging! My new concept for CHOMP! is that once a month, I will be featuring my favorite dining spot from the previous month. Since today is the last day of February, I gotta hurry up and post my favorite from Jan2019! I am also removing my "cookie rating" since these will all be my favorites. It'll get boring when all of them have 5 "cookies". Haha!

Technically I've been going to Nori since October of last year... and I've wanted to write about them ever since then (but life got busy and I was a little burnt out). But it's too good not to feature, so they're kicking off my 2019! Plus I did go to Nori in January. Ha!

I've been following Chef Jimmy Park since the days of Pok the Raw Bar (still my favorite poke place in Dallas). I had one of the best meals when the raw bar opened up there. Since Chef Jimmy left Pok, I've been WAITING for him to do something else. Finally Nori Handroll Bar opened in September 2018 in Deep Ellum!! Woohoo!

Nori Handroll Bar
2814 Elm St.
Dallas, TX 75226
(469) 436-6674
norihandrollbar.com
Price: $$-$$$$

I've gone numerous times since they've opened and every time the food is just fantastic. I expected nothing less from Chef Jimmy! Hands down my favorite sushi spot in Dallas, Nori has a great chef (duh!), a great team, and wonderful owners. Plus the decor (minimalist modern) and the music are great!

Chef Jimmy Park being his awesome self.

They specialize in handrolls (or "Temaki") which is a new trend in DFW. A few things to understand when eating handrolls...
1) The seaweed is very important. Nori's is custom made so it has that perfect crispness when you bite into it. Eat it quickly when they place the handroll in front of you so you can experience that perfect texture. The longer the handrolls sit, the softer the seaweed can get. (Mind you, it's still good if left sitting too long, but once you experience how it's SUPPOSED to be, you'll know what I'm talking about!)
2) The handroll chefs at Nori will wait until you have consumed one roll before making your next one. That way the handrolls are not left sitting too long.
3) This one is specific to Nori... their handrolls do not need soy sauce. AT ALL! I have never used soy sauce there because each roll is already so flavorful. I do get their wasabi relish to put on there though. YUM!

Aside from handrolls, Nori also offers complimentary tapas such as seaweed salad, octopus salad, edamame, shishito peppers, and more. 

Yes, complimentary. It's awesome. On the dinner menu, you can also find the full selection of hot dishes like their awesome brussels sprouts, hamachi kama (yellowtail cheek), etc. They have various sashimi dishes which sometimes changes depending on whatever fresh fish they have that day. They also have a sake bar at the front of the restaurant which is pretty badass looking!

Since I've been there so many times already, I'm just going to post a bunch of pictures and what they are. You can't go wrong with anything. I'd happily eat any of these again!

Yamaimo (japanese mountain yam, shisho, ume boshi) $5.50~ Gluten free and vegetarian

King Salmon (house cured ora king salmon, crushed sesame seeds, chives) $7~ Gluten free

Negitoro (fatty tuna, scallion) $9~ Gluten free

Negihama (yellowtail, scallion, crushed sesame) $7~ Gluten free

Nori Scallop (hokkaido scallop, tempura crunch, creamy spicy) $8~ This is a personal favorite.

Red Crab (red crab, garlic aioli) $9~ Gluten free

Baked crab... torched in front of you. Yum!

Baked Crab (red crab, baked avocado with creamy spicy) $9~ Gluten free. Another personal favorite.

Ebi Katsu (panko shrimp, ginger dressing) $8~ This is my absolute favorite!

Chef's Temaki Special: This changes, but I had Tamago (egg).

Lobster (lobster, butter ponzu aioli) $10~

Uni (uni, lobster roe pate, gold flake) $MKT~ Gluten free

Brussels Sprouts (fried brussels, parmesan, premium sauce, crushed sesame) $7~

Rock Shrimp Tempura (amazu ponzu or creamy spicy, yuzu) $MKT~

Hamachi Kama (yellowtail collar) $18~

Takoyaki (octopus dumplings, mentaiko sauce, bonito) $8~

Chicken Karaage (japanese fried chicken) $8~

Here are also some special bites that Chef Jimmy has made for me. I am honored to be considered his friend and can experience these wonderful creations! Disclaimer: Nori does not offer omakase (chef's tasting) on their regular menu. They may offer it on certain holidays so keep an eye out for that! They recently did one for NYE and Valentine's Day.

Hakami in homemade soy sauce

Salmon Belly nigiri

Home cured Japanese mackerel nigiri

Yellowtail in homemade wasabi soy sauce

Bluefin with ponzu

Kampachi with jalapeno dressing

Spear Squid nigiri

One last thing. Save room for dessert. It's not listed on the menu, but sometimes Nori will have this donut ice cream dessert that is just to die for. The donuts are from Detour Doughnuts in Frisco (they're seriously good at what they do) and topped with either a matcha or black sesame ice cream, with different sauces poured at the table. It's delicious. You won't wanna share. :P

Detour's custom Black Sesame donut with Black Sesame ice cream

Detour's Creme Brulee donut with Black Sesame ice cream and chocolate sauce

Thanks for always taking such great care of me, Chef Jimmy and Nori team! If this post doesn't convince you to go check them out... I don't think we can be friends. LOL! They just recently rolled out a new lunch menu btw. I'll be checking that out soon!


~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Uchi - Sake Social

Everyone knows that Uchi is good. But I think most people also know that it's quite expensive. So you'll wanna read about this cuz their happy hour or "Sake Social" can save your wallet a little. :P

Uchi
2817 Maple Ave.
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 855-5454
https://uchidallas.com
Price (for HH): $$

Sake Social runs daily from 5-6:30PM. Yep, that's right, even on Saturdays and Sundays. Aside from a few holidays, they have this pretty much all year. And here's the best part... everything on the menu is LESS THAN $10... including the drinks! It's also available in the entire restaurant, not just limited to the bar. Woohoo!

I got invited to check out Sake Social back in January. My friend and I got to try a bunch of stuff! :)

Kara Kyuri (cold sake, yuzu, cucumber, thai chili) $8~ My friend got a cocktail. It sounds super refreshing. She really liked it.

Spicy Crunchy Salmon (cucumber, avocado, chili) $6~ A pretty simple roll but it was fresh and I liked the crunchy tempura flakes on the outside.

Negihama (yellowtail, negi, tamari) $6~ Also pretty simple yet fresh. I really liked the negi (Japanese long onion) in there.

Natsu Beef (squash, fennel, shortrib) $8~ What a pretty dish. That splash of green totally made the plate pop! The beef was super tender. We both loved this dish!

Gyutoro Dolma (short rib laarb, trinity puree, puffed rice) $10~ Also a beautiful dish. Just look at the colors! Especially with that blue bowl. I think this was my favorite from the Sake Social menu. I normally don't like dolmas but since this is made with untraditional ingredients, it's totally different. The puffed rice added a nice crunchy texture. The trinity puree was delicious... I think that made the dish.

Yucca Frites (yuzu kosho, labneh, herb trinity) $6~ The prettiest presentation of fried yucca I've ever seen. haha. It was fried to perfection. Each cube was delicate, crunchy, and fluffy on the inside.

Gailan (chinese broccoli, chili, white ponzu) $5~ Loved this! I'm always looking for vegetables in my meals. The flavoring in this dish was bold. And those garlic chips were everything!

We also got a few items off the regular menu.

Karaage (chicken thigh, sweet chili, seasonal pickle) $10.50~ I love their karaage, I've had it before. The sauce packs a punch. I wished it was a little crunchier on the outside though.

Foie Gras Nigiri (duck liver) $9.50~ This is a MUST at Uchi. I know the price tag is a little shocking. This is PER piece. But it's seriously one of the best bites of my life. The first time I had it a couple years ago, I actually teared up because it was so unexpectedly amazing. I'm typically not a huge fan of foie gras. But the textures, sear on the foie gras, and just the whole sensation is mind blowing. At least for me. You gotta at least try it once for yourself.

Banago (banana, black sesame, thai basil) $10~ Uchi has some really interesting desserts. They're also always really pretty. I really wanted to try this mainly because I love black sesame. It was interesting to say the least... The black sesame mousse thing was made with tofu. Not sure if I would've ordered that if I had known that little detail. I think flavor-wise, it was good... but texturally, it was a little weird for me. I loved the sesame crisps and the thai basil added a bright pop. But this is definitely my least favorite dish of the night.

All the dishes are pretty small, but shareable. We were full by the end of the meal. If you stick to the Sake Social menu, it's a pretty good deal! Our waitress, Payton, was amazing. Shoutout to her for such wonderful service. And thank you, Uchi, for having us.

*The meal was comped but all opinions are my own.*

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Wabi House 2.0

Three weeks came and went... my group went back to Wabi House for our follow up dinner. They have 2 small parking lots in the back of the restaurant now, which is nice. Parking in Lower Greenville sucks so much! We arrived at 6:30PM, the place was still pretty empty at the time and we were seated immediately.

Wabi House
1802 Greenville Ave, Suite 100
Dallas, TX 75206
(469) 779-6474
www.wabihouse.com
Price: $$-$$$

I wasn't too hungry to begin with so I didn't really plan on ordering any appetizers. Plus they are so dang expensive! What place has appetizers that cost more than the entree? Sigh... Anyhoo... the rest of the group wanted appetizers so the masses win. haha. The waitress had some suggestions. And they all turned out to be really good!

Karaage (spicy aioli, shishito pepper, watermelon) $10~ 

The chicken was fried well and still juicy inside. I love the spicy aioli... which is just a fancy term for spicy mayo. hehe. Love me some spicy mayo. The watermelon was super interesting... it was a little salty and a little spicy and still sweet. I normally don't like watermelon at all but I actually ate a couple of these. It's a good dish, the lightness of the watermelon is a good contrast with the fried chicken.

Chicken Meatballs (minced chicken thigh, shallot, egg yolk tare) $9~ 

 

 

This was pretty cool. You break the egg and dip the chicken in there. The chicken had a nice texture. The flavor was a little sweet. I loved the egg yolk tare. I can just drink that up. haha. But damn... $9 for only 2 skewers? Wow...

Bone Marrow Shitake (fried shiitake mushrooms tossed in bone marrow butter) $13~ 

This came highly recommended by the waitress. It doesn't look that appetizing but it was delicious! The mushrooms were lightly fried so they weren't oily or heavily breaded. They weren't really tossed in the bone marrow butter, more like placed on top of it. The bone marrow made the butter even richer, gave it a hint of meat flavor but wasn't overpowering. I actually liked the mushrooms with the spicy aioli. It was my favorite out of the 3 but damn, $13 for fried mushrooms. I just can't get over how expensive the apps are... :(

Most people got the Tonkotsu ramen again. I got to try the broth and it was better! Everyone who had it the first time agreed. The broth seemed creamier and richer in flavor. Yay for improvement!

This time I got the Tsukemen (chashu, egg, chili strips, negi, pork belly dipping broth) $11~ Plus woodear mushroom +$1~ 

 

 

It has the same thick noodles as the Dry Garlic (dry ramen). Still legit! I freaking love their thick noodles. It's got so much texture and cooked perfectly al dente. The dipping broth had a ton of flavor. But it was a bit salty... and just kept getting saltier and saltier. By the time I finished eating, it was like I sucked on a salt brick for the last 20 minutes. I know the dipping broth generally is saltier and heavier than regular ramen broth, but it shouldn't be like just eating salt. That's easily fixable though.. just dilute with some hot water. The noodles, however, love them! 

I like the addition of the bacon too. But I think that contributed to the overall saltiness. It was a lot of food. I actually took half of it to go. FYI... they don't do to-go orders so they had to give me styrafoam cups to hold the food. hahaha. Whatever works I guess. So I had it again for lunch the next day. I poured some hot water into the broth and it was perfect! I'd have this again. And ask for hot water if it's too salty. :P

It was a better experience this time. Not saying the first time wasn't good. But I'm glad they showed significant improvement. :) Still super expensive... like $3 just for 1 extra piece of chashu (pork belly)... that's just kind of ridiculous. Doubt they'll reconsider their pricing though. ha. I guess I'll go sparingly...

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~