Hello Nori opened its first location on Robson Street in downtown Vancouver earlier this year. They specialize in sushi hand rolls (temaki). It became popular very quickly, with line ups at the door. Since I’ve been almost a hermit during the pandemic, I haven’t ventured out downtown for a number of months. Finally last month with a nudge from my friend CC, we went to check it out.
Hello Nori has a rather small menu, which isn’t a bad thing, keeping it focused and making food prep easier. They have a few set menus or you can order a la carte. They may also have a couple of featured items on the “fresh sheet”, which were ikura and futomaki when I went. While their set menus offer decent selections and a great sample of their hand rolls, I opted for a la carte because I had my eyes on the unagi hand roll.
Food
Toro – which is their version of a Negitoro (toro with green onion) – there’s nothing spectacular about it but it’s flavourful.
Unagi – what I came here for and I wasn’t disappointed. The BBQ eel piece was thicker and meatier than what you normally get at sushi restaurants, and the sushi chef sauced and charred it to order. It was a very satisfying roll for a unagi lover.
Hokkaido Scallop – I’m a big chopped scallop roll fan, so this is an elevated version of that. The scallops were sweet, the sauce was good, and there was a lot of filling.
Truffle Lobster – This is one of their best sellers, according to the servers, and I can totally understand why. I could smell the truffle as soon as it’s placed in front of me, and the earthy note of truffle paired well with the lobster meat. Definitely a luxurious sushi roll.
I also ordered Lychee Berry Chu Hi cocktail, mixed with Japanese sake. There was lychee and raspberry puree in the drink, making it sweet and fragrant. It’s refreshing and great as a summer cocktail.
Freshly Made to Order
I appreciate how they time the making of each roll so it’s freshly made one after another for each customer. The seaweed therefore remains fresh and crispy in each bite. At one point, I slowed down my pace (probably I was too busy chatting with CC), so the sushi chef placed the next roll in front of me while I still had half of the previous one in my hand. He actually apologized for serving the next roll too soon.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I was happy with my selections and each roll was very tasty. I’d say I can finish 4-5 rolls in one seating. Hello Nori is quite popular for takeout, too. The restaurant is beautifully designed and decorated with wood and recycled chopsticks. It’s not cheap but I like this place. Like, elevated sushi. It may not be my everyday sushi restaurant, but I would definitely go back again, especially after the Brentwood location opens since it would be closer to me.
Hello Nori
1165 Robson Street, Vancouver
604-564-9595
hellonori.com
VanFoodies.com 
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