The long awaited opening of Hello Nori Burnaby is finally here, 3 years after the hoarding went up, reading “coming soon 2021”.
Living in Burnaby myself, I was excited to head down and check things out. With the same menu and the same concept as their original Robson location: this is hand rolled sushi, rolled to order right before your eyes. Brentwood just does it at a smaller scale, as the space allows. And for those familiar with the Robson location, the ceiling here is designed more haphazardly, and less symmetrical. Wooden steaks jutting out and stained metal partitions.
Everyone is seated around the two tiered, horseshoe bar. Each seat pre-set with your necessary serve ware, dish ware, glass ware, and utensils. The bar features a platform, an elevated ring around the horseshoe perimeter. This is set with a slate plate for your completed hand roll to be placed upon. A resting point before you move it on to your similar plate, closer to your being, for eating.
As is customary of their service, your meal begins with a wet towel tablet. When moisten with water it puffs up and expands and you can use it to wipe up before your meal. Given the option to use the narrow chopsticks, gingerly bounded by tape, some may choose to have their hand roll as a sushi burrito instead. I steered towards the chopsticks because in hand it gave me a dainty feel, equal to the elevated meal.
We started with their house “Hello Nori” sake, over poured in the traditional shot glass placed within a branded wooden box. The spirit is purposefully overflowed to represent abundance, and it really sets the tone. This is a Japanese custom I like, as this ends up being equivalent to 2 shots in box. The sake itself is really mellow, sweetened at end with fragrant botanicals. Brewed by one of the oldest distilleries in Japanese, with Hello Nori being their only partnership.
Humorously and very considerately the chef and team recognized me from a previous La Chaine event (at their downtown location) and cautioned that we eat right away and avoid taking photos, so that each roll is optimal. That the rice is kept warm, the Nori stays crisp, and the fish isn’t cooked through by the heat of the it all. The kind chef even offered to remake anything for us, for the photos after, should we need it.
You order by way of check box and golf pencil. We started with their only two options for aburi oshi sushi. This was made in the back kitchen, at 3 to an order.
The beauty is in the perfectly prepared rice. Tender and slightly sticky, a whisper of vinegar that highlights the natural oils and flavour of the salmon for the Salmon Oshi. Buttery soft fish, given a tinge of heat from the jalapeño topper.
The Ebi Oshi was less photogenic. The shrimp looked like paste mashed and squeezed out of a piping bag. Still tasty with soy and wasabi, but I would recommend the salmon over this.
The same rice we enjoyed above is also the star in their hand rolls. Rice that I could tell was a little more tender and tasty than that of previous visits. And this is because they changed the rice last November. New rice that the kitchen team went to Japan to source. And rice that is now their own blend with 16% less calories and 10% less sugar; thus making this a healthier choice. This is important considering that if you have 5 hand rolls, that is equivalent to 1 pound of rice. The rice here is actually brown rice with its skin removed, and in doing so it helps to leave you not bloated.
Before this, I always thought the food was tasty, but over hyped. And now learning all that goes into each roll, I can see that the price reflects this, and it is well worth it. Fresh Ocean-wise seafood, shipped to them daily, premium rice sourced from japan, and only natural ingredients with no additives used.
For hand rolls their daily specials included ikura and anago, this evening. The latter is saltwater ocean eel, whereas the more common Unagi is fresh water eel. We didn’t explore this any deeper, and got the Ikura instead.
This one was folded in a unique way that uses an extra piece of Nori to give the roll a bottom so that the roe won’t roll out. It is passed to you directly in hand to ensure everything stays wrapped up tight.
The ikura offers salty briney pops, given peppery spice from the sisho leaf. I would caution using soy sauce here, as I found the additional salt overkill.
The King Salmon came recommend by the staff so we went with that. Its texture so soft and fragrant against the crisp nori sheet. When compared to regular salmon, this was definitely a lot more tender, less fishy, and closer to white fish than its salmon brethren.
The Hokkaido Scallop also came recommended and I would recommend it too after this taste. The texture was amazing, soft and gummy it melts in great contrast to the crisp seaweed, melding in with the perfectly soften rice. I would also suggest having it with the house spicy sauce, for those who like their food with some heat. Order it on the side, because it goes with everything.
The Spicy Blue Fin Tuna was another suggestion we took. It had a lighter flavour and a firmer texture. A little roasted with its sesame marinade. Not as spicy as the name suggested, luckily we had plenty of house spicy sauce to go around. Tasty, but the least exciting of the four above.
In conclusion, Hello Nori is more than just a meal, it is an experience. You don’t take out or order delivery, you don’t come hungry, but arrive prepared to have your taste buds tantalized. They are a great additional to the quickly growing Brentwood area and I cannot wait to see the future success of their soon to open, Richmond Centre location. Only good things ahead as Vancouverites appreciate and will pay more for artisan and craft products, and Hello Nori is definitely both those things.
And if you need an additional reason to visit, the Burnaby location are one of the many restaurants currently participating in Bite of Burnaby, and are offering special discounted food menus for the month of March. See menu below.
BITE OF BURNABY 2024 DINE IN MENU
Set Menu $35
Starters
Miso Soup
(Tofu, Enoki Mushroom, Wakame)
Aburi Oshi Sushi 3 pc (select one)
Salmon Oshi 3pc
Emperor Sockeye salmon, house made aioli, serrano pepper
OR
Ebi Oshi Sushi 3pc
Ginger marinated prawns, house made plum aioli, lime zest
Hello Nori Hand Roll Set
Tamago Hand Roll
Toro Hand Roll
Snow Crab Hand roll
Truffle Lobster Hand Roll
Dessert (Select 2 flavours)
Strawberry Mochi Ice Cream
Matcha Mochi Ice Cream
Vanilla Mochi Ice Cream
Macha Mochi Ice Cream
Chocolate Mochi Ice Cream
BITE OF BURNABY 2024 TAKEOUT MENU
Chirashi Don $29
Bento Box $45
Tsukiji Platter $65
Hello Nori
1920 Willingdon Ave #1114, Burnaby, BC V5C 0K3
(604) 564-6674
hellonori.com
