KazuNori — The Original Hand Roll Bar — Comes to NYC

If the lines have lessened at Sugarfish, that can only mean one thing — patrons have transferred allegiance to its little sibling, KazuNori.

Also an L.A. import, the wildly popular eatery applies the low cost, high quality sushi theme specifically to hand rolls; cylinders of nori wrapped around cones of fish and rice.  And at its new, NoMad location, “The Original Hand Roll Bar” certainly isn’t cutting corners; holding true to its tradition of meticulously sourced seafood (obtained through relationships with suppliers, stretching back to the 1970’s), wild-harvested nori (gathered from family plots, on the Japanese archipelago), and hand-sorted rice (prepared in $250 cookers, exactingly modified to the tune of $50,000) seasoned with house-brewed vinegar, which is meticulously incorporated, using a one-of-a-kind, robotics company-designed machine.

Which is to say, these aren’t your average spicy tuna rolls.  Made to order by a team trained by master chef, Kazunori Nowaza (each tasked with performing only one, specific action), options include Bay Scallop, Blue Crab, Toro, and even Lobster, ordered a la carte or as a set.  And instead of being obscured by sriracha-fueled, mayo-based gunk, the delicate fish is enhanced by little more than soy sauce (light-bodied, only minimally salty and smoky), and citrusy ponzu, alternately flavored with garlic and ginger or Japanese red pepper.

But astoundingly, they don’t break the bank — while you’ll still spend a pretty penny at hole-in-the-wall sushi counters, dispensing pre-made rolls, KazuNori’s sets command merely $13 for three pieces, to $28 for six.  The only downside is contending with those inevitably formidable lines.

KazuNori
15 W 28th St
(347) 594-5940
www.kazunorisushi.com