The Latest Concept From Dallas’ Youngest Restaurateur Is Leading The Nori Wave That’s About To Take Over The City In A Big Way.
The terms “Prix fixe” and “laid-back” don’t usually go together. But inside Namo, the second restaurant from 22-year-old entrepreneur and Southern Methodist University product Brandon Cohanim, you can indeed have both — and for lunch or dinner.
Walk in with or without a reservation, pull up a stool at the 20-seat hand-roll sushi bar, and tell the chef you’d like a three-, four-, five- or six-hand roll tasting, which will cost you between $10 and $23, with the prices rising the more rolls you order. The price points are in line with what sushi fans might expect: Namo’s hand rolls may be extremely simple, but it’s the quality of each individual component that makes all the difference.
The fish used at Namo is flown in fresh from Hawaii, Japan and New Zealand. The nori (read: seaweed) it’s wrapped in, meanwhile, is custom-toasted at a factory to Cohanim’s exact specifications. When combined with warm sushi rice and a few key ingredients such as wasabi salsa or Himalayan sea salt, these simple ingredients become a formidable treat.
In addition to the tasting offerings, each of Namo’s dozen or so hand roll varieties are available a la carte. So too are a trio of composed sashimi dishes, which can be ordered for $7 each. As far as beverages go, the taps at Namo deliver ice cold sake, beer, wine and a nitro green tea that’s unique in the city.
A typical meal at Namo might begin with the aforementioned green tea, move on to an order of King Ora salmon sashimi and reach its crescendo with a five-hand roll tasting featuring toro, yellowtail, sea bream, blue crab and lobster. It’s all very musical, really: The pacing and order of the meal has been carefully predetermined by the sushi chef, and you’re hungry for more if at the end of it, another roll or sashimi dish can be added for between $4 and $7.
In only about 30 minutes, Namo lets you escape the fast pace of your workday and enjoy the simpler things. And, yes, that includes not calculating your tips or dealing with cash: Before it arrives, a 16 percent gratuity is factored into your bill, which can only be paid with a card.
Hey, don’t look at us: We told you this nori thing was gonna be trendy.