Happy returns: Nozumi reopens with new owners and new offerings
To the surprise of many area diners, Nozumi Japanese Cuisine - the stylish sushi bar in The Arboretum of South Barrington - suddenly closed earlier this year despite being dubbed one of our best new restaurants to open in the 'burbs in 2009.
It's now been reopened under new ownership, and we're pleased to see many of Andy Park's dishes - and the chef himself - intact. There have been changes, however. The array of cost-conscious appetizers has been expanded. The massive previous menu (which arrived in several book-like volumes) has been combined into one. And new offerings are being introduced.
Upon hearing this, we went in for another meal. Though the changes are subtle - right down to its "new" moniker, Nozumi Asian Cuisine & Lounge - we're certainly glad we stopped by.
The space maintains its Zen-like edge, with a waterfall wall greeting diners upon entering. The lounge-like vibe of the place extends from the bar on one side of the entrance to the industrial-chic dining room on the other. Ambient beats play overhead, while low lighting, gracious dark wood seating and oversized booths invite languorous meals.
The selection of nearly two-dozen starters - which are buy one, get one between 5 and 7 p.m. daily - can easily comprise a meal. Excellent choices include the phyllo-wrapped togarashi tuna and salmon, which arrived crisscrossed with wasabi mayo and unagi sauce. Also recommended are the jalapeño poppers, which are nothing like their name suggests. Instead, this likable riff consists of ground Wagyu beef and pepper jack-stuffed, phyllo-encased peppers, which are bias-cut, zapped with wasabi sauce and served maki-style on an elongated platter.
From Moscato ginger syrup-soused duck with soba to shiso-pesto lamb with couscous salad and lemon grass mussels in Kaffir lime cream, inventiveness abounds.
Salads, too, show promise. A take on sunomono, for example, arrives with alternating whirls of flounder and snapper alongside crab, octopus and shrimp resting on a pool of ponzu sauce. It's simple so as to keep the integrity of its ingredients intact; the plating, however, couldn't be more artful. A bit edgier, the flash-seared tuna, topped with mango "sticks" and dabs of wasabi cream, demanded our admiration before we dove in.
Classic nigiri and sashimi can certainly be had, but it's the signature rolls that allow Park's creativity to shine. One, filled with ginger soy-braised duck confit, certainly strays from the norm. In step, the shrimp and calamari ceviche roll is redolent with lime and topped with cilantro-flecked pico de gallo.
Entrees continue the theme. Various textures and flavors are at play in the shrimp and scallop fettuccine, which is sauced with basil cream and crowned with finely diced mango on a wonton bed. Meanwhile, salmon tataki rests on a mountain of pickled vegetables, with wisps of avocado for flourish.
Desserts, while more classic, don't disappoint. A moist oval of chocolate cake is encased in gooey ganache, while traditional caramelized creme brulee reveals an interior that's as creamy as can be.
The evocative sake list, coupled with sake martinis and mojitos, still informs pairings. Service, just as before, is knowledgeable and attentive. Couple all that with newfangled deals - like $4 rolls during the weekday lunch hour - and it turns out there's still plenty to like.
<p class="factboxheadblack">Nozumi Asian Cuisine & Lounge</p>
<p class="News">The Arboretum of South Barrington, 100 W. Higgins Road, South Barrington, (847) 783-0001, <a href="http://www.nozumiasiancuisine.com" target="new">www.nozumiasiancuisine.com</a></p>
<p class="News"><b>Cuisine:</b> Inventive sushi as well as Asian small and large plates</p>
<p class="News"><b>Setting:</b> Lounge-like Zen</p>
<p class="News"><b>Hours: </b>Lunch served 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday; dinner is 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday</p>
<p class="News"><b>Entrées:</b> $10-$45</p>