on a roll

Houston sushi stars open new hand roll restaurant with speakeasy-style bar in West U

Houston’s newest hand roll restaurant has opened its doors. Norigami is now open for dinner daily with a speakeasy-style bar next door.

Started as a pop-up at Hidden Omakase, Norigami is the latest concept from Tuan and Thy Tran. Located in West University Place (2715 Bissonnet St.), it joins both Hidden Omakase near the Galleria and Sushi by Hidden in Rice Village in the Trans' portfolio. As at Sushi by Hidden, chef Jimmy Kieu leads the kitchen.

While both of their first two restaurants are tasting menus, Norigami is an a la carte experience where diners may order from a menu of hand rolls and shareable plates. Hand rolls are available individually or in three, four, or five roll sets.

The restaurant’s hand roll choices include creations such as yellowtail with cucumber and agua chile, spicy salmon with avocado and jicama, and blue crab with yuzu mayo and fried leeks. Diners may also splurge on rolls made with A5 wagyu, toro and caviar, or the signature Menage Foie Gras — a $26 hand roll with uni, toro, wagyu, foie gras, and caviar that’s adorned with edible gold.

Small plates options include crudos made with yellowtail, bluefin tuna, or salmon. The Steak & Eggs is a variation on beef tartare with pickled red onions, mustard, quail egg, and caviar.

Similar in style to other hand roll restaurants such as Hando and Handies Douzo, Norigami’s seating consists of a 24-seat, U-shaped counter. Design details include origami cranes, colorful LED lighting, and a speakeasy-style entrance.

Speaking of speakeasies, Norigami also includes Hidden Bar, a companion cocktail lounge that also serves as a waiting area. Its design features more origami cranes and an Ace of Spades champagne wall. Bartender Hao Ma (Bludorn, Wooster’s Garden) has created Hidden Bar’s cocktail menu.

“We are excited to bring the Norigami concept to a permanent location in Houston,” Kieu said in a statement. “After doing pop-ups for a while, now more Houstonians will be able to experience what we have to offer.”

Photo by Michael Anthony

Find hand rolls, crudos, and other bites at Norigami.

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truffle masters recap

Street corn shines at Houston's truffle-powered chef competition

Photo by Daniel Ortiz

Marcus Benedict, Daniella Johner, and chef Luis Roger of MAD and BCN.

One of Houston’s top Mexican restaurants took the top prize at this year’s Truffle Masters competition. Victoria Elizondo, chef-owner of Cochinita & Co., bested 24 other Houston chefs with Elotitos, corn brushed with chiltepin aioli, dusted with seven chile spice, and finished with shaved truffles and Parmesan.

“The team killed it last night,” Elizondo wrote on Instagram. “We won 1st place at @thetrufflemasters all while having fun and cooking with love! Food doesn’t need to be fancy, it just needs to be made with corazón!”

The attention couldn’t have come at a better time. As CultureMap reported last month, Cochinita & Co. is currently in the process of opening a second location in Lindale Park. Customers can invest in the project via the NuMarket platform in exchange for credits at the restaurant.

Second prize went to Camaraderie in the Heights for its black sesame and black truffle gelato, while Cocody, a French restaurant in River Oaks, took third place for its truffle-shaped Lollys Persillade Escargot Cromesquis, essentially an escargot lollypop with with black truffle and quail egg in the middle.

Montrose sushi restaurant Soto won People’s Choice with its Engawa fin muscle with truffle balsamic unagi sauce, kizami, and chocolate black truffle masago arare. Aniket Bhingare, a bartender at Michelin-starred restaurant Musaafer, won the cocktail competition with his Pour Me a Slice, made with truffle and herb-infused and a clarified mix of roma tomatoes, fresh basil, oregano, basil, and truffle oil.

Other standout dishes included a Yukon Gold potato with truffle brown butter from Michelin-recognized sushi restaurant Hidden Omakase, truffle s’mores from Israeli-inspired steakhouse Doris Metropolitan, beef tartare and truffle ice cream from fine dining sushi restaurant Katami, and Credence’s truffle duck sausage with plums and truffles. Maximo, a Mexican restaurant in West U., maximized (sorry) its truffle usage with a Cachetada de Barbacoa Taco, made with nixtamalized truffle tortilla, truffle-braised barbacoa, and sottocenere al tartufo cheese with black garlic-habanero salsa

More than 350 attended the sold-out affair, which took place at the Astorian events space in Sawyer Yards. The judging panel include both media members (such as this author) and hospitality pros. A portion of proceeds will be donated to the KNOWAutism Foundation.

Photo by Daniel Ortiz

Marcus Benedict, Daniella Johner, and chef Luis Roger of MAD and BCN.