Amazing Japanese and Korean Fusion by Roll Me in Norcross GA
Japanese and Korean Fusion
Typically when I see "fusion" on the sign of a restaurant it brings up a bit of a red flag. I would expect it to lean in one direction and lack in the other. Roll Me, came across to me as one of those places at first glimpse. Having spent quite some time in Japan, It has been a bit hard for me to find quality restaurants that offered sushi that was made with the same standard as authentic Japanese sushi and loving Korean Food, I would have been a bit depressed if i didn't see bulgogi on the menu. To my surprise, not only was the sushi amazing but the bulgogi was as well. Japanese and Korean dishes are a bit similar in many ways but also have a bit of a difference between the two. In my opinion, Korean dishes pack a bit more seasoning then your authentic japanese dishes would. Another dish that shocked me was the chicken katsu. This is a Japanese dish consisting of a seasoned and fried chopped chicken breast. Its a dish you dont see much in American Japanese restaurants so that was another plus for me. In the end, I would say that roll me leans a bit more to the Japanese side with a large selection of sushi, lunch bento boxes and chicken katsu. On the korean end, their bulgogi is most likely the best i've ever had and can be ordered by itself or in a bulgogi taco.
Authentic Sushi
When first trying out Roll Me, I was a bit hesitant about the food as I mentioned before. My first inclination was to try the sushi and so the first test of authentic sushi was at hand. Lets go through two sushi basics here:
- Sushi is simply "cooked vinegar'd rice." If someone gives you sushi and the rice has not been cooked with an even amount of rice vinegar, its a rice dish but its not sushi in Japanese standards
- Sushi rice should not be hard or cold. Fresh sushi will consist of warm rice and is soft an breaks apart easily.
- Sushi should NEVER be chewy. Real authentic Nigiri style sushi will be pressed in a way that the rice should easily break apart in your mouth when bit down upon.
With this said, the first thing I do when trying sushi is remove the meat, and try the rice on its own to make sure its actually sushi, that its warm and its not chewy. Many restaurants will fail this initial test and I will usually leave at that point. Roll me passed the test and with an amazing flavor and style. I love their Nigiri as well as their rolled sushi. The Royal Dragon and the Seafood Roll ought to be the first thing you try when visiting.
Tacos, Teas and Sauces
Upon first trying my Japanese Salad (a romaine salad consisting of a house ginger based dressing), miso soup and sushi, I noticed immediately that there was a taco menu. This unique Asian taco menu consisted of bulgogi tacos, chicken katsu tacos and shrimp tempura tacos. Ive seen bulgogi tacos around but have never heard of chicken katsu tacos. Upon trying the bulgogi taco first, it was something very unique and delicious! What I noticed is that the taco consisted of zucchini, squash, onions and a few other veggies. This is something a bit unique to find in a meat taco but it has an amazing taste. The chef and owner David Choi pushes for all dishes to be nutritional and have a balance of vegetables and meat. No dish has MSG or artificial flavors. Sitting down with the chef, he showed me three sauces that are house made and to blend a korean style of eating with japanese dishes, we experimented is the yum yum, ponju and honey wasabi sauces blended with the sushi, tempura crumbs and fruit from the royal dragon dish (above image). I never thought of mixing honey wasabi with an apple slice over my sushi but It sure worked out! When you get a chance, also give the pear tea a try. It is Korean pear and honey and has an amazing taste.
A New Favorite
In conclusion, this has become one of my new favorite stops. My wife has fallen in love with the bulgogi tacos and I am a huge fan of the chicken katsu tacos as well as the sushi. If you are off of Indian Trail in Norcross, GA - you owe it to yourself to look them up and try it out!