When visiting Denver, my wife and I love dining at a restaurant called Temaki-Den, which specializes in Japanese-style hand-rolled sushi. And so I was thrilled when our friends Andrew and Tammy told us that SLC now has a sushi restaurant that serves hand rolls. It’s called Momomaru.

Blue Crab Hand Roll

Hand rolls in Japan are called Temaki – a type of sushi where fillings like vinegared rice, sashimi, cooked seafood and fish, vegetables, or other ingredients are wrapped in a crisp nori (seaweed) sheet and eaten by hand. It’s a popular choice for a hands-on sushi experience. And unlike most sushi rice, the rice for temaki is served warm, not cold or cool. So it is of the essence to eat your hand rolls quickly, before the rice cools down. 

Momomaru only takes reservations for parties of six or more and it’s a diminutive eatery that only seats around 20 people, all at a counter that surrounds the hand roll makers. That means that you get a show with your meal – a front row view of hand rolls in the making. 

The seating is limited but the Momomaru space isn’t. It’s actually quite roomy, with a large separate space where guests can wait to be seated, which typically is anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes or more. Trust me, it’s worth the wait. 

Since guests eat by hand – although chopsticks are provided – each meal begins with a warm, wet towel for your hands. A server pours hot water from the tea kettle over a little white disc and it magically blooms up into a hand towel. Pretty cool. In addition, each guest is given a plate with ginger for cleaning the palate and wasabi for those who like it hot. 

Uni Hand Roll

Diners at Momomaru can order rolls a la carte, but most guests start with one of the six set menus, which range in price from $17 to $26. For example, you might want to order the “Starting Four” set menu, which consists of four hand rolls for $17: Salmon, Baked Lobster, Spicy Tuna and Shrimp Tempura. If you’re looking for something more traditional, clean, and fish-forward you might enjoy the “6 Hand Roll” with Salmon, Sea Bream, Toro, Bay Scallop, Spicy Tuna and Blue Crab. Between those two extremes are set menus with three, four, or five hand rolls.

After taking a seat at the counter and ordering, the sushi staff starts rolling … literally. Each hand roll is made to order and passed to you the moment it’s ready to ensure that the nori is crisp with a satisfying snap and the rice is warm. That means that the rolls come fast and furiously, because they are meant to be eaten immediately. If you want to slow the process down, I recommend ordering a la carte, one roll at a time. And by the way, you can mix and match. If the set menu you ordered isn’t enough, you can always add on a la carte rolls. I find that five hand rolls are plenty for me. 

I really love the minimalist decor at Momomaru – a very Zen-like atmosphere. For example a wall with nothing but five earthenware teapots on display and cleverly lit. 

Sake & Toro Hand Roll

For beverages, Momomaru offers beer, sake, tea, bottled waters and sodas – no wine. 

Ceviche

Since hand rolls are the main attraction at Momomaru, there’s not a lot of other dishes to clutter the menu. Just a couple of appetizers: Shrimp & Fish Ceviche ($14) and Sunommono – cucumber salad ($8). 

Service at Momomaru is super friendly and helpful, from a manager named Yong to Loren, our server. The hand rolls are excellent and particularly like the Blue Crab roll and a roll with Shrimp & Langostino. 

Cut Rolls To Go

If you’d prefer not to wait for a table, Momomaru does offer takeout sushi. However, they do not sell hand rolls to go, but 16-piece boxes of cut rolls are priced from $18 to $23, depending on ingredients, the most expensive being 4 pieces each of Toro, Salmon, Blue Crab and Lobster. There are also less expensive 8-piece boxes. 

If you’re looking for sushi that deviates from the standard Caterpillar and Rainbow rolls and such, I highly recommend bellying up to the counter at Momomaru and telling your server to “hand it over.” 

Photos by Ted Scheffler & Courtesy of Momomaru

Culinary quote of the week: “Sushi is not just food; it’s an art form, an experience.” – Francis Mallmann