The idea of a hand roll bar is simple, elegant and, above all, immediate: an expert chef prepares a cylindrical roll of cold fish and warm rice nestled inside a toasted sheet of nori. The handheld delicacies should, ideally, be eaten posthaste so as not to let the crispy, briny shell turn chewy.
According to LA Taco, the hand roll bar took off in the U.S., most notably in Los Angeles, after the opening of KazuNori in 2014, which helped popularize the sushi style in the Golden State. Ten years later, hand roll bars show no sign of slowing down. Kei Concepts opened its first roll spot in Huntington Beach in 2021 followed by another one in Fountain Valley. On Wednesday, Sept. 25, ROL Hand Roll Bar opened its third location in Irvine.
Highlights at ROL range from tuna, salmon, unagi and blue crab to splurge-worthy A5 wagyu beef and uni or lobster and truffle. Inari (rice bowls) and donburi (seasoned sushi rice stuffed inside fried tofu pouches) dishes are also available. And the pared-down appetizer menu includes albacore or salmon tartares, furikake fries, cucumber salad and chili garlic edamame.
ALSO SEE: Paradise Dynasty collaborates with Heritage Barbecue for limited-edition menu
Foodie photogs, take heed: “Our hand rolls are best enjoyed within 10-15 seconds while the nori is crispy and the rice is warm,” ROL warns on its website. Should you take too long snapping the perfect pic, your chef might take away your roll and prepare you a new one, as food critic Brad A. Johnson observed in his 2021 review of ROL’s inaugural spot.
Related Articles
Orange County restaurants shut down by health inspectors (Sept. 12-19)
Sushi Laguna closing after nearly 24 years
H.H. Cotton’s in San Clemente announces closure
Orange County restaurants shut down by health inspectors (Sept. 5-12)
Orange County restaurants shut down by health inspectors (Aug. 29-Sept. 5)
A selection of beer (ranging from Japanese brands to Kei Concepts’ very own coconut brew), soft drinks (like dragon fruit lychee lemonade or white strawberry matcha soda), four different sakes and specialty cocktails (like the Prosecco-based yuzu guava fizz or the green tea chu-hi featuring barrel-aged shochu and club soda) round out ROL’s beverage menu.
This year Kei Concepts has expanded its footprint with the opening of Kei Coffee House in July, with plans for Vox Kitchen at South Coast Plaza and a family-style Sino-Vietnamese eatery set to open in late 2024/early 2025.
ROL Hand Roll Bar Irvine will be open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Find it: 14370 Culver Dr, #2G, Irvine
