Temaki Sushi Omakase at Nori Maki Melbourne

I never thought I’d put “fast food” and “Omakase” in the same sentence, but you eat and learn – in Nori Maki, that is.

It all started a few days prior; I was researching a place for our non-Valentine’s Day Valentine’s dinner.

The requirements remain somewhat consistent year after year: Japanese (or at least Asian), somewhere I get to drink to my liver’s content and not on the actual Valentine’s Day — too expensive, too crowded and too many loved-up ugliness.

Also, this time, since I’ve declared it to be the year I embrace my mid-palate, it better not be fancy.

Then I remembered Nori Maki, a sushi restaurant we spotted during a food walk tour when we passed by the newly renovated Tivoli Arcade – it used to be a super dingy arcade that I used to frequent for an OG Nasi Padang on my first few years in Australia.

The newly opened restaurant offers a $69 Omakase, and they still had seats available on Valentine’s Day Eve. I made the booking and then told Fafa — he said yes but then asked:

What’s the difference between hand-roll sushi and sushi sushi?

Good question Fa —I had to Google it myself.

Temaki, or hand-rolled sushi, is made by rolling a sheet of nori with sushi rice and fillings into a cone shape, sometimes topped with additional ingredients. Think of it as a bucket-shaped sushi.

It was invented out of necessity during the Edo era as a quick, portable sushi option—easy to hold and eat with one hand.

Hence, Temaki is often called the fast-food version of sushi.

Or, as I thought while watching the chefs effortlessly rolling them in front of us: taco sushi.

Temaki Omakase Set in Nori Maki

We took our seats at the U-shaped counter and started pencilling in our orders, which took all of two minutes because, the night before, we had already done our Instagram research and decided on our Omakase choices—which got a Sashimi plate, four Temaki rolls, a special roll and Chawanmushi and a dessert. We also gave ourselves two extra à la carte dishes allowance. Because Valentine’s.

Unfortunately, despite all that basic B research, we didn’t realise they don’t serve alcohol yet (still waiting for their license). Surprisingly, I was okay with it, but Fafa—who had been looking forward to a Japanese beer to close out his hectic workday—was not.

The place was buzzing that night—every seat was taken. A few chefs were busy folding rice into nori sheets and serving them to customers surrounding them.

Our first dish was served soon after. A bowl of sashimi. It’s cold, beautiful and absolutely delicious, especially the fat cut of tuna.

Next was Fafa’s King Fish served with Dashi Goma soy sauce. It was the first time I tried something with Goma sauce, and what a perfect pairing it was!! I am hooked on its’ nutty flavour — so much so that I have added it to my grocery list.

Temaki Galore

The first one was Sushi and Avocado Temaki. It was so basic but oh so delicious. It was the best Temaki I had on the day.

The Hokkaido Scallop Creamy Tobiko was almost equally as good.

My least favorite of the day was the Torotaku Temaki — but it just a personal preference as I had never liked Torotaku anything. Anywhere.

The last Temaki from the Omasake set was JP Zuwai Crab and Kani Miso. I had high expectation for this Teamki because it’s crab, my ever favorite, but it didn’t come anywhere close to it.

We then got Chawanmushi (steamed egg custard), which was perfectly made. I have always loved me some Chawanmushi, but this one might be the best I’ve ever had—easily the best dish of the night.

Fafa agreed before hinting that maybe I should try making it at home (2025 is my Japanese home-cooking year). I told him I would if I had the right tools, and he suggested using a miso bowl. Pfft, it’s not the same! The discussion dropped as my ala carte Temaki(s) arrived.

Crystal Bay Prawn & Grilled Anago Cucumber

I surprised myself for not liking their best selling Temaki, the Crystal Bay Prawn. Maybe after sharing a plate of raw prawns with Fafa at Pocha this seemed like a novelty, almost meh.

Meanwhile, the Grilled Anago (saltwater eel) Cucumber Temaki tasted way better than I expected.

Even steven.

By then, I was already dreaming about hosting a deconstructed sushi lunch where my friends and I built our own sushi. Sounds fun, right? With a new store open in Highpoint where I can grab (overpriced) salmon, I have most of the ingredients covered—except where to find good nori.

The thing is, while reading up on Temaki sushi, high-quality nori is often emphasized as a key component. From the second roll onward, I tried to sneak a peek at what brand the chefs were using, but no luck, and I didn’t want to make it too obvious. Back to Google, I guess.

Engawa Temaki

The last piece was Engawa Temaki—a rare piece of flounder fin. It was my first time having and definitely wouldn’t be the last time.

As a morning matcha drinker (for wealth, for health and for habit) I had never been keen on green tea dessert. It usually tasted too healthy and that was exactly what I was anticipating seeing the green on green mochi dessert, but I was wrong. It tasted so delicate and delicious – a beautiful bow on a delicious dinner date.

I skipped—but saw the guy next to me eat CholesteRoll—a Temaki overflowing with everything opulent. I was already full, so I didn’t feel bad about missing out, though I do regret not taking a picture.

While Fafa’s only complaint for the night was the lack of alcohol, my only issue was the chef experience. Aside from the main chef, other chefs weren’t particularly engaging. Most of the time, I had no idea what the chef was saying – they either didn’t say anything when they placed the Temaki sushi in front of us or spoke so softly that I couldn’t hear it.

Also, there was no eye contact. Yeeeeees, I know I keep complaining about eye contact with chefs, so maybe this is a me problem. But one of the best parts of Omakase is the chef interaction and I didn’t get any here.

Or am I asking too much from a Temaki Omakase?

Overall, the experience was great.

On the way home, Fafa wondered whether $69 was a sustainable business decision—he said it seemed too affordable in this economy. I argued the opposite.

This is the only Omakase restaurant in Melbourne that I would return to simply because of its value for money. Maybe I’ll wait until they get their alcohol license, though and will definitely order the overflowing CholesteRoll.

Nori Maki Address: 7/235 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000.

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