Nori Maki Is Redefining the Melbourne Omakase Experience

For many, omakase conjures images of an exclusive, high-end dining experience with triple-digit price tags. But according to Oliver Joe, who co-owns Nori Maki in the CBD with Steven Sulistyo and Ken Pham, the true meaning of omakase has been lost in translation.

“Recently, all of the omakases that have opened are very high-end and bougie. People think it’s synonymous with fine dining,” he tells Broadsheet. In reality, the Japanese term, which roughly means “I’ll leave it up to you,” is defined by its deference to the chef’s choices at any price point.

“It doesn’t have to always be premium ingredients,” Joe says. “If the chef wanted to serve you instant noodles, that’s still omakase because the menu is completely at their discretion.”

This philosophy underpins Nori Maki, which is a handroll bar inspired by restaurants the team encountered in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and the US – most notably Kazu Nori from the Sugarfish team.

“Japanese food [in Australia] is either really cheap sushi or really high-end omakase,” Joe says. “We wanted to create something fast-paced, high quality and affordable while maintaining that intimate counter-dining experience.”

There are no instant noodles at Nori Maki, but its omakase approach is refreshingly accessible, with set menus ranging from $34 for a four-roll set to $89 for six courses. The centrepiece of the menu is, of course, norimaki (seaweed-wrapped handrolls) made to order by chef Keisuke Kita, formerly of Nobu Melbourne and Sushi Baby.

The simplest set includes salmon and avocado, kingfish, Crystal Bay prawn and torotaku (tuna belly with pickled daikon) rolls, with the option to supplement with a la carte add-ons. Higher-tier sets incorporate extras like chawanmushi – a steamed savoury egg custard with fish cake, chicken, unagi and crab – and changing sashimi plates like kingfish with sesame sauce and soy- and onion-marinated tuna.

The higher-priced sets also include the more premium handrolls such as Hokkaido scallop with mentaiko and Hokkaido snow crab with kani miso – a savoury sauce made from crab innards. (Any crab left over after making the rolls is used in the stock for the miso soup.)

The roll special rotates every couple of days, showcasing different white fish varieties like fatty, mild-flavoured engawa (flounder fin). But the most extravagant option is the aptly named Cholesteroll – a $29 burrito-sized creation packed with some of the ocean’s richest ingredients: ikura (salmon roe), torotaku (raw fatty tuna) and ankimo (monkfish liver) or uni when it’s in season.

For dessert, there’s a single option: a delicate daifuku (stuffed mochi) made of a thin, velvety layer of glutinous rice wrapped around a red bean-studded matcha custard. Drinks are currently limited to Japanese bottled teas and ramune soda, though a liquor licence is in the works and the team will introduce saké pairings, highballs and Japanese beer.

The 24-seat space is intentionally minimal. The light wooden bar is the centrepiece, contrasted with black and white shoji-style lightboxes and colourful, mismatched crockery sourced from Japan. It’s inside 235 Bourke Street, formerly the Tivoli Arcade, and the space caused the team some initial hesitation. “It’s a bit hidden, but people have been going out of their way to come to the restaurant,” says Joe.

Nori Maki
7/235 Bourke Street, Melbourne
0466 662 920

Hours:
Tue to Sat midday–3pm; 5pm–9pm

instagram.com/norimaki.au/