Nozumi Japanese Cuisine opens in South Barrington, IL

June 24, 12:52 PMChicago Cheap Eats ExaminerJacky Runice

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For my money, one of the few places to splurge after a weeks of consuming cheap eats is a great sushi spot - especially in the sultry summer.

Open on June 24th in the Arboretum of South Barrington, Nozumi Japanese Cuisine reassigns a sleek, contemporary setting and inspired Japanese small plates menu from the city to the suburbs in a big way.

Boasting two sizeable dining spaces (a serene dining room and an animated sushi bar), private tatami room infused with crimson décor, outdoor tables and a glossy bar, Nozumi offers sushi fin-atics and those who have yet to give into the raw side plenty of nouvelle fare plus interesting sushi combinations sans cliché (that is, you won’t find maki rolls with mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce, thank you).

Diners are presented with a “Menu Box” - five menus fitting in a compartment explaining beverages, hot and cold plates to share, sushi, desserts and daily specials/tasting menus. Gimmicky? Could be. The food, however, holds up to the earnest display.

Executive Sushi chef, Andy Park, dazzles with an exquisitely textured scallop hand roll accompanied by a balsamic soy sauce or how about a signature Yamato roll: steamed cold water lobster, masago, roasted red pepper, avocado and asparagus tempura rolled in mamenori and moistened with uni-lobster sauce. Someone in your group has to order the Palm Wrap for a) the taste and b) the sheer sculptural effort. A heart of palm is hollowed and seasoned with yuzu sake and wrapped with shiso leaf, set upright and filled with Japanese Black Sea Bream which is then covered in spiced scallop, mix of Blue crab and shrimp and dotted with yuzu tobiko. Sorry - but that’s one item you can’t get in Wicker Park.

Small plates from the sushi bar includes a fun DIY handroll bento box packed with nori, sushi rice, veggies and fish - an interactive affair good for groups, first dates and even sushi-loving kids working on hand-eye-taste bud coordination skills.

Among the choices from the kitchen, Chef Sang Lee offers a fine Taiyou short rib braised in soy-ginseng and attended by sushi rice risotto, kabocha and Asian pear puree for a contrasting sweetness plus a healthy dose of bok choy. Muscat ginger duck, mussels with lemongrass kaffir lime cream and delish crab items insure a culinary good time for all.

Proficient waitstaff can help you maneuver the delicate sake-inspired cocktails, Japanese beer on tap and infused green teas.

The Arboretum of South Barrington is just off I-90, making it a smart stop for summer travelers on their way through the cheddar curtain to Wisconsin!

Lunch: coming in July
4:30 - 11:30 pm Sunday - Thursday
4 pm - 12:30 am Friday and Saturday:
Late Night Menu 9:30 pm until close

Nozumi Japanese Cuisine
100 W. Higgins Road
South Barrington, IL 60010
(847) 783-5995