Temaki spot brings handcrafted hand rolls to Irvine

Irvine’s Heritage Center on the corner of Culver Drive and Walnut Avenue is already home to two eateries from Kei Concepts. Súp Noodle Bar and Nếp Cafe both draw people to the center, especially on the weekends when crowds wait outside during the dinner rush. Now another restaurant from Kei Concepts has moved in.

“Our third ROL Hand Roll Bar in Irvine is a testament to the journey we’ve embarked on with Kei Concepts over the last decade,” Viet Nguyen, the restaurateur and executive chef behind Kei Concepts, said in a statement.

ROL Hand Roll Bar opened in late September at 14370 Culver Drive and is the third restaurant in a lineup of sister restaurants in the same shopping center and the third location for the ROL concept.

Based in Orange County’s Little Saigon, Nguyen started Kei Concepts nearly 10 years ago with full service restaurants like Vox Kitchen, Kin Izakaya and Nếp Cafe as well as more casual concepts like the recently opened Kei Coffee House filling out the group’s portfolio.

ROL currently has locations in Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach, and its popularity has led to the new 1,350-square-foot space in Irvine. ROL specializes in handcrafted hand rolls, made to order in front of guests. Unlike “maki” sushi or cut rolls which are rolled into cylinder and then sliced, hand rolls or “temaki” are individual servings rolled in a piece of seaweed or “nori.”

With 22 bar-only seats, each guest can watch the sushi chef make their hand rolls right in front of them, placing them on a small tray in front of each seat when they’re ready.

“We recommend that you take a bite within the first 10 to 15 seconds,” a server advised on a recent visit. “So the nori is still crispy.”

The nori is crispy and warm, filled with sushi rice and seafood of the diner’s choice like yellowtail, toro, spicy salmon, shrimp tempura and blue crab. There are also premium hand rolls filled with Santa Barbara uni, lobster with truffle and A5 wagyu beef.

Inari, tofu pouches stuffed with sushi rice and seafood at ROL Hand Roll Bar in Irvine.

(Courtesy of ROL Hand Roll Bar)

The menu also features inari, pouches made of seasoned and fried tofu that are then stuffed with sushi rice and fillings like albacore, scallop or spicy salmon crunch. Seafood can also be ordered as a rice bowl or “donburi,” and there is a section of expected appetizers like miso soup, edamame, furikake fries and tartare.

In the decade since Kei Concepts began, Nguyen’s goal of growing the restaurant group’s culinary empire includes expanding not only where diners can can experience Kei’s food but the type of experiences they have access to.

“From the success of our very first concept, Súp Noodle Bar, to this latest addition, our goal has always been to innovate and create spaces where people can come together over great food,” said Nguyen. “We’re excited to continue bringing unique and memorable dining experiences to our community as we look ahead to the next chapter.”