Chubby Nori | Sushi & Handroll Bar
Restaurant · Chinatown ·
Hand rolls with seafood & cooked ingredients, sake cocktails
Hand rolls with seafood & cooked ingredients, sake cocktails
"Like a heart surgeon, or the old guy playing a saxophone near RTM, Chubby Nori specializes in one thing: handrolls. While we love the Chinatown spot's sleek and sexy interior, the satisfaction of a warm cod handroll is the real draw here. The flaky black cod's been marinated in a rich miso butter cream for 72 hours, so although it's wrapped in crispy nori, it's still guaranteed to melt in your mouth. Book a table at the sushi bar or in the dining room, get a round of other handrolls in, then take a deep breath before diving into this buttery beauty." - alison kessler, candis mclean
"The name says it all. This walk-in-only Chinatown spot serves the biggest hand rolls in the city. Located upstairs at Chubby Cattle, you’ll find a stylish, wooden sushi counter and a dining room full of booths where friends try to make the impossible choice between 24 hand rolls on the menu and which sake to pair them with (we suggest the sweet miso butter cod and the floral house sake). If you can, grab a seat at the chef’s counter to see wagyu get torched, spicy mayo zig-zagged over fresh scallops, and cut down the travel time between the chef’s hands and scarfing down these seaweed-wrapped beauties. The staff may forget to bring you a roll or two, but it’s a small price to pay when you’re paying a small price—multiple dishes and drinks are under $10, making it an ideal, laidback place to acquaint yourself with quality seafood. photo credit: Gab Bonghi video credit: Gab Bonghi photo credit: Gab Bonghi photo credit: Gab Bonghi photo credit: Gab Bonghi Pause Unmute Food Rundown Salmon Cups Phyllo-like wrappers filled with salmon, avocado, tamago, and a subtle truffle pâté. Perfectly sufficient, but not knocking anybody’s socks off. photo credit: Gab Bonghi Lobster Most handrolls include a thin sheet of nori, plump sushi rice, and from there, anything goes. For this handroll, 'anything goes' means mounds of lobster with a rich miso butter sauce that will make you forget a classic New England lobster roll even exists. Plus, the scallion dancing on top gives each bite a little crunch. PlayMute video credit: Gab Bonghi Eel One of the few handrolls on the menu with seafood that gets the torched treatment, and this is one of the best. Watching the eel sizzle and the sweet kabayaki sauce caramelize in front of you as it all gets put to the flame is a sight to behold. Pyrotechnics aside, it’s also delicious. photo credit: Gab Bonghi Spicy Yellowtail The handroll is filled with yellowtail, nutty furikake, jalapeño, and spicy mayo. It’s not a dynamic combination up there with Kelly Drive and a Philly spring, but it’s solid. photo credit: Gab Bonghi Miso Butter Cod Since this is the best handroll in the place, you’ll have the urge to eat it in one big bite. Take a tip from us and slow things down to savor the flaky black cod that’s been marinated in a rich miso butter cream for 72 hours. Yes. PlayMute video credit: Gab Bonghi A5 Miyazaki Wagyu Although it’s wagyu, this one isn’t a head turner. The roll, topped with a thin layer of tender beef, is quite bare—aside from the scallion—and falls into the ‘decent if you want to pivot from seafood’ territory. photo credit: Gab Bonghi Yuzu Cheesecake Citrusy and surprisingly tasty, like a random orange wine you knew nothing about five minutes ago. The mini cheesecake isn’t a must-order, but you won’t regret it if you do. photo credit: Gab Bonghi" - Candis R. McLean
"You'll have to climb about 20 steps to get to the dining room of this laidback sushi spot above Chubby Cattle in Chinatown. And with that, you've reached your athletic quota for the day. Bring your friends for a night of sake, no sports, and some of the biggest hand rolls in the city. We love the miso cod and eel, both of which appear in front of you less than five minutes after you order." - candis mclean
"The name says it all. This walk-in-only Chinatown spot serves the biggest hand rolls in the city. Located upstairs at Chubby Cattle, you’ll find a stylish, wooden sushi counter and a dining room full of booths where friends try to make the impossible choice between 24 hand rolls on the menu and which sake to pair them with (we suggest the sweet miso butter cod and the floral house sake). If you can, grab a seat at the chef’s counter to watch wagyu get torched, spicy mayo zig-zagged over fresh scallops, and to cut down the travel time between these seaweed-wrapped beauties leaving the chef’s hands and reaching your mouth." - candis mclean, alison kessler
"The name says it all. This stylish, walk-in-only Chinatown spot serves the biggest handrolls in the city (24 varieties of them, to be exact). There are booths for bigger groups, but you want a seat at the wooden chef’s counter to see wagyu get torched and spicy mayo zig-zagged over fresh scallops. You’ll also cut down the travel time between the chef’s hands to you scarfing down these seaweed-wrapped beauties." - alison kessler
