The Rise Of Rice Rolls – 6 Places Serving Up Gourmet Rice Rolls

Rice rolls are on a roll, with many dedicated eateries popping up and serving gourmet creations that’ll make the usual California maki pale in comparison. Think of these rice rolls as a square meal that’s disguised in a cylindrical shape – they typically come packed with white rice and topped with a whole slew of vegetables and proteins, making them the perfect portable lunch for those on-the-go. And its versatility means that the flavour possibilities are endless, from the traditional Korean gimbap to modern sushi-burrito fusion. If you aren’t already acquainted with this new rice roll trend, here’s our list of our favourite rice roll eateries to help you get the ball rolling.

1. Seoul Roll

A Korean influenced eatery will hardly be the first place that pops to mind when you mention rice rolls, but this rice roll bar is here to dispel this notion with eight different kimbap selections. We had their signature Seoul Roll ($5.50), which comes stuffed with carrots, pickled radish, burdock root, eggs, luncheon meat and kimchi. The fresh vegetables made for a fresh crunch in each bite, while the pickles and kimchi lent a vibrant and addictive punch of sour and spicy that had us finishing the roll in no time.

2. Rollie Olie

It might sound weird to top your rice dish with fresh strawberries, eel sauce and wasabi mayonnaise, but the chefs over at Rollie Olie stuck with this quirky combination to create Beachcomber ($16.95). The ingredients list is quite a handful, with fried soft shell crab, prawn salad, avocado, cucumber, jicama and chives. But the seemingly jarring components come together harmoniously in every mouthful, and the result is a sweet-tart-salty-crunchy union that’s unlike anything you’ve had before.

3. Sushi On Wheelz

Things can get quite literal over at Sushi On Wheelz, where the food that they serve is as portable as its name suggest. The Whee-ly Spark ($9.50 for a full roll) that we had was also as animated as its name, where a salmon fillet with mentaiko sauce was torched before our very eyes before being swiftly rolled and packed into our rice roll. We particularly enjoyed how the heat from the torched salmon mentai made for a comforting warm meal that’s coated in the luscious and creamy fish roe sauce in every bite.

4. House Of Gimbap

The House Of Gimbap oozes authenticity as you look through their gimbap selection or interact with the Korean owner. The Spicy Fishcake Gimbap ($10.50) that we had came glistening with sesame oil, and was packed with fish cake marinated in Korean hot sauce, fresh Cheongyang pepper, egg roll and fresh vegetables. The addition of the fiery pepper made this a dish a tad spicy for us, and we would have preferred this room temperature dish to be served warm.

5. Roll Out Sushi Bar

The sushi here comes with a twist. Known as reversed sushi rolls, the placement of the seaweed and rice layer is swapped to make for an interesting sight. The white rice acts as a blank canvas to display the variety of colourful ingredients that go into each of their rice roll. We had their Ham Some Cheese and The Quacks ($8.90 for two signature rolls). The Ham Some Cheese reminded us of a ham and cheese sandwich with a rice blanket covering a breaded mozzarella stick and some gourmet slices of ham, while The Quack was a delicious combination of smoked duck and hoisin sauce that felt like a more filling version of a Peking duck wrap.

6. Sushi Burrito

Don’t be fooled by the misleading name and go in expecting the place to serve up the classic Mexican street food. Instead, Sushi Burrito is inspired by the food truck movement in America, serving up huge sushi rolls disguised in the shape of a burrito. The same blend of cultures was also found in our Geisha Dance ($7.50 for a full roll), where it came stuffed with grilled unagi, a variety of greens and topped with bacon bits. We would have liked this Japanese burrito to come with more smoky unagi slices – it seemed to be overwhelmed by the sea of lettuce and cabbage.