My brother and I recently found ourselves off work on the early side and in the West Village. Having both had rough days at work, we knew we needed the kind of restaurant with food that could not only mend the day, but mend the soul.

“Like that narrows it down, Nicole. There’s a million fantastic restaurants in the West Village with food good enough to solve world peace”. Ok ok, you put up a fair argument young grasshopper/ reader. 

So I’ll cut to the point. The place we happened to be feeling on this particular night was Nami Nori, the West Village’s newest member of the hand-roll dining club. With three Masa veterans backing the new establishment, the place carries a certain respected-reputation from the start. 

Was New York in need of yet another hand-roll bar? Likely not. Are we mad about it? Also not. 

The restaurant is available for a slim amount of reservations on Resy, and once you walk-in you understand why it’s borderline impossible to snag a spot on the app. The restaurant feels immediately intimate, with no more than 40 white-wood seats clustered around two sushi bars. The intimacy works entirely to one’s advantage once you’re seated at the sushi bar with direct attention from the sushi chefs. And works entirely against one’s advantage when you’re lining up to speak with the host and given a wait time of 3 hours. 

Once you are seated however is where the real fun begins. Casually dressed waiters with strong opinions will cheerily guide you through the menu, advising on the “must-order” rolls and more popular appetizers. The vibe is fast-paced; you might opt to go heavy on the hand roll portion of the menu, sacrificing appetizers as a result but to do so would be a grave disservice to your stomach. 

The Nami Nori salad – a Japanese take on a caesar salad – was a highlight. The crunchy leaves were drenched in a decadent buttermilk dressing and the rice chips added a zing of ‘all dressed’ Ruffles flavoring. Not to be missed. The calamari comes piping hot, lightly fried in a delicious airy batter, and waiting to be dunked in the yuzu sauce. The hot, chewy bites are to be shared with smiles in between gasps of cold air. 

Now onto the main show. I should clarify that these aren’t traditional hand rolls, but Tamaki, a taco-like take on a traditional hand roll with a rice base, and fresh, raw fish piled delicately on top. All Tamaki are made with warmed sticky rice and a crunchy, thin seaweed shell. Options include classics such as spicy tuna, and scallion yellowtail, to more lavish choices like lobster tempura with yuzu aioli, and toro. 

I found the simpler ones to be better. The standout was Uni from Santa Barbara – creamy, textured, and tasting of the sea. Salmon tomato (pictured above) is historically a preferred pairing of mine but was overpowered in this instance by the presence of onion cream. The x.o. scallop, an alleged best seller was tasty, but ultimately lacking in ‘wow’ factor. 

The chef’s choice of Temaki is the way to go if you’re on a budget – with the impressive bargain of $28 for 5 rolls. Pay attention to your stomach throughout the meal as these rolls can quickly add up – leaving you wanting more one minute and stuffed to capacity the next.

Is it just me or is it that no matter how many sushi counters I eat at, the thrill of having my food sourced, cut, and assembled directly in front of me never gets old? 

7.5/10