Chorney-Booth: Local restaurants freshen up with new concepts and locations

Calgary Herald

03-07-2025

The restaurant world can be a fickle industry, and Calgarians seem to be particularly guilty of constantly chasing what's trendy and new in terms of places to eat. Which is great for restaurants when they're on the receiving end of the buzz, but what's a hotspot to do when it starts to feel less hot?
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Smart restaurateurs have long known that being nimble and willing to pivot is part of the game. Concept changes, rebrands, and even relocations can breathe new life into a food business. This spring and early summer have seen several local restaurants shift gears to feel a little bit fresher.
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For example, the team behind the recently closed Sensei Bar wanted to make better use of their funny little restaurant and bar space, which sits off the back of their larger restaurant, Olea. Culinary director Ryan Blackwell had seen chefs in other cities try out the concept of a 100-day restaurant (that is, a restaurant that truly only exists for 100 days) and thought it would be a good way to cycle concepts in and out of the cosy bar area.
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'We talked about it and thought 'why not?'' Blackwell says. 'It is kind of like throwing mud against the wall to see what might stick. We're also looking for the public's feedback to get a better idea of what they want.'
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What are they throwing against the wall in Oori Nori Handroll Bar? For now, the focus is on sushi hand rolls — those long, cigar-shaped rolls that seem to have replaced the cone-shaped rolls in terms of popularity. Each roll is stuffed with rice plus anything from traditional salmon and mayo or spicy tuna and cucumber to the premium 'pearl roll' with Hokkaido scallop and mango salsa or an Atlantic lobster roll with tarragon butter sauce.
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The rolls are much more filling than they look, and Oori Nori portions them in combos of four to six rolls ($22 to $31) and also sells them individually ($6.25 for a regular roll or $8.50 for premium rolls. The rest of the menu is rounded out with a shareable 'Tokyo Kozara' appetizer plate ($26) and a selection of sake and Asian-flavoured cocktails.
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Oori Nori, which opened in early June, will indeed exist for only 100 days, with the mandate to shut down the first week of September. After that, expect a new concept to set up shop — Blackwell is already cooking up a hip shawarma place with lots of eastern Mediterranean flavours.
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Meanwhile, Chef Roy Oh, who first gained local fame for his dearly departed Anju restaurant and then re-emerged shortly after the beginning of the pandemic with his Roy's Korean Kitchen, also just made a pivot, though this one involves a physical move. Oh closed down his full-service Roy's location in Mission late last year and then shuttered his quick service kiosk in the District at Beltline food hall this spring. At that time, Oh made a promise to re-emerge, which he made good on a few weeks ago with a new food counter in Heritage Square.