This is the first in Brussels. A stone’s throw from Avenue Louise, in the discreet Rue Jourdan, a hand roll bar has just opened. The concept, which has all the prerequisites for a quick-good address, actually looks more like a classic restaurant, where you don’t sit down just to eat and drink, but to enjoy the moment. The design is polished, the identity is ultra-polished, and the idea is finely crafted. No secret, one of the founders of the restaurant is none other than Lara Dratwa, the founder of the Poké House brand.
Roru, a new smart fast food restaurant arrives in the capital:
A concept that is a hit in Paris and New York
The sushi hand roll has been making its mark in the capital for several months. This derivative of Japanese temaki is not eaten with chopsticks, but with the fingers. It comes in the form of a sheet of nori filled with fish tartar and wine-pickled rice. The new Roru brand already offered lunchtime takeaways.
Here the concept is a little different, as the address is designed after the real hand roll hangers found in Japan. Places designed in an izakaya style, with a large central kitchen around which customers sit and where these sushi are served in “rolls” directly from hand to hand. Lara and her companion also went there to extract the essence of these very special rooms. “The concept has been known for a long time in Japan, but it is the KazuNori chain, very famous in New York and Los Angeles, that has given them an international aura”adds Lara Dratwa.
This Japanese recipe was adapted to our local sauce with the help of chef Mathieu Vande Velde, chef at the Michelin-starred Le Roannay restaurant and former Top Chef contestant. “The concept is a hit in Paris and New York, but they are real forerunners of all things food.”explains this one. “In Japan, it is if hand rolls are served directly in the hand, because they have to be eaten immediately. In Japan, it is believed that when the sushi is finished, it begins to deteriorate. Therefore, it is necessary to eat very quickly. If you are away for just a minute, they’ll do it again for you.”.
A culinary experience that changes
Being served at the counter in a Japanese restaurant is always a rather unique experience. Nami totally plays with this fun and interactive aspect by offering menus that you can fill out yourself and place on the counter for the chefs. On the menu: 14 varieties of hand rolls. There’s Wagyu, salmon, shiitake, tamagoyakisu and even eel… each accompanied by its own personal sauce. Personally, we absolutely love the hand roll with flambéed prawns and fatty tuna (otoro). Melting is the word, because in these hand rolls there is a play of texture, temperature and spices that create a real experience in the mouth. Whether through the fingers or the palate, Nami fully plays with the senses, beneath her appearance of not touching.
We accompany everything with one or more of their different sides: seaweed and cucumber salad, Waguy tartar, salmon or tuna, miso soup, crispy chicken, shrimp tempura or sashimi with salmon or fatty tuna. Simple and effective. To definitely order to wash it all down: their Togarashi cocktail. A spicy blend of whiskey, black tea, togarashi spices and spicy sesame oil. In short, the address ticks all the boxes. Assuming, of course, that you accept a certain amount of promiscuity towards your neighbors (that’s the charm of the counter, after all). The only downside is perhaps the price. Count between €6 and €14 for the hand roll, the same for the sides. Knowing that three or four hand rolls are necessary to overcome hunger, the bill adds up quickly compared to a cocktail at €13 and a glass of wine at €8. A price that is justified by the quality of the products, especially fatty tuna, which is considered a noble product.
Info:
Or? Rue Jourdan 1, 1060 Brussels.
When? Open every day from noon to 10:30 p.m.
nami-roll.com
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