Photo by Rachael Headley.
Nori owner
(Left) Nori Thai and Sushi Restaurant Vice President Kadek Sudarsana looks over his restaurant’s menu.
Nori Thai and Sushi
4704 Cahaba River Road
970-7570
Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
After 12 years of working at someone else’s restaurant, Kadek Sudarsana and two business partners decided it was time to be their own bosses.
Then it was only a dream, but as of December 2013, it became reality for Sudarsana, the restaurant’s vice president. Nori Thai and Sushi Restaurant opened its doors to customers the third week of December in the Altadena Square Shopping Center off Cahaba River Road. Sudarsana’s experience in working for restaurants that featured Asian cuisine led him and his two partners to select a Thai and Southeast Asian-inspired menu.
Nori appetizers, offered to begin the customer’s dining experience such as Egg Rolls, Edamame and Crab Angels. After that, there are a variety of soups, salads and entrees to choose from.
Nori not only offers classic entrées like fried rice, Pad Thai and Teriyaki, but also Chicken Panang, Roasted Duck with Red Curry and Ka Proud Lamb — specialty options that can be hard to find. The sushi menu offers the simplest of sushi options to the most specialized rolls, splitting the menu into simple nori with California rolls, spicy tuna rolls and vegetable rolls and nori maki specialties with the Godzilla roll, Supercruch roll and Big Steak Nori Roll.
The adventurous eater with an affinity for spice should check the menu’s spiciness level legend.
Sudarsana said the most popular dishes are the Masaman Chicken, Nori Roll and Supercrunch.
“We make [our food] with quality ingredients and try to get it out as fast as we can,” Sudarsana said. “We know how much time the customer has, especially people who work in the office. It takes them five to 10 minutes to drive and sit down, then they have less than 30 minutes to eat.”
Sudarsana’s vision was to create a casual environment, where coworkers can relax on their lunch breaks over hot tea and sushi, and families can come to dinner and find something for everyone. Nori also has online ordering options for quick on-the-go pickup as well as catering options for parties and events.
Though customers may experience a shorter wait time and may find more affordable options, that does not mean that the quality or presentation will be sacrificed, Sudarsana said.
“We put some presentation on the plate to make it look great,” Sudarsana said. “We want them to come back.”
Sudarsana and his partners are still expanding and improving the menu, and they plan to serve alcohol after receiving their liquor license.
Sudarsana also said he envisions opening additional Nori locations in the future.
