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Although hand roll spots are fairly popular across New York today, when Nami Nori opened on Carmine Street back in 2019, it tapped into a relatively unexplored corner of the sushi world—and did so extremely well. Until then, aside from maybe KazuNori, hand rolls were simply one of the many types of rolls you could order at any old sushi restaurant. Some were stellar, sure, but few places were truly dedicated to the form.
All of which is to say: whenever the Nami Nori team is behind a project, we’re here to listen. That’s why we’re delighted to report that Nami Nori chef Jihan Lee is gearing up to open TBD Gimbap, a gimbap-only eatery taking over the group’s former Postcard Bakery space at 31 Carmine Street this Thursday, March 12. For the uninitiated, gimbap is sort of like the Korean answer to Japanese sushi: the dish consists of cooked rice and various fillings rolled in dried seaweed (told you) and then sliced into biteable pieces (told you again).
No specific menu details have been released yet, but a photo posted to the restaurant’s official Instagram account shows staffers setting up the printed menu on the wall and it’s looking delicious. Gimbap options appear to include a classic (usually made with vegetables and beef), beef bulgogi, spicy pork, carrot inferno, tuna mayo and soy-garlic tofu. Beef bone broth also seems to be on the menu, alongside some pretty exciting desserts that we can only assume refer to ice cream flavors: pistachio, choco pie, hazelnut and more.
The reactions to the post are all you need to know about how excited people are for the imminent opening.
"Can't wait to try it!," someone commented.
"The rice to fillings ratio [is] on point," another noted under the photo of a roll.
We're joining the chorus of enthusiastic would-be diners as we wait for the new restaurant to debut in just a few days.