Chef Tests If New Yorkers Will Swap Sushi for Seaweed Rolls No Soy Sauce Allowed
KEY POINTS
- •Chef Jihan Lee, trained at Michelin two-star Masa, launched TBD Gimbap as a pop-up in Manhattan in mid-March 2026.
- •Following success with their sushi bar Nami Nori in four states, Lee is using TBD Gimbap to explore authentic Korean rice rolls without soy sauce.
- •The pop-up will test market interest through May, offering classic bulgogi and adventurous Japanese-style gimbap, aiming to elevate Korean rice rolls beyond sushi comparisons.
Chef Jihan Lee, once a disciple of NYC's two-Michelin-star sushi temple Masa, ditched raw fish for his mom’s classic gimbap recipe in a pop-up called TBD Gimbap launching mid-March in West Village. After Nami Nori's sushi bar spread to Florida, New Jersey, and Virginia since 2019, Lee's partners gingerly tested waters with a Korean rice-and-seaweed roll sans soy sauce to convince New Yorkers to trade down. He aims to blend bulgogi, spicy carrots, and avant-garde Japanese-inflected fillings until May — a polite invitation to redefine 'eat your sushi.' Meanwhile, frozen TikTok-famous Trader Joe’s gimbap quietly steals hearts despite its freezer loneliness.
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(1 of 3)When a sushi-trained chef politely insists gimbap needs no soy sauce, New Yorkers half-believe they’ve entered a cult of crunchy pop-up rice rolls. Meanwhile, Trader Joe’s refrigerated dreams quietly slay in freezer aisles.
Imagine spending years mastering Michelin-star sushi only to convince Manhattan that wrapping rice, veggies, and seaweed into blobs without soy is a good idea. Bold strategy.
Welcome to NYC, where chefs train at two-star Masa, then open pop-ups reminding you that yes, sandwiches come in seaweed now. Chow down, soy sauce haters.
Source: Eater | Published: 4/7/2026 | Author: Bettina Makalintal
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