Tapas, tapas, tapas.
The Spanish tradition of small portions has been adapted tonumerous ethnic cuisines in the last year. The growing trend hasspawned several Dallas area tapas restaurants such as Spike(Caribbean tapas), Severine’s (European tapas) and Vino(Italian tapas).
Located across from two naturally unstylish Lower Greenvillespots, The Beagle and Taco Cabana, Nandina offers distinctive Asiantapas at an affordable price.
From the outside Nandina looks like a large house oddly set offby a lit sign and banners advertising for happy hour, but inside,the restaurant’s warm lighting and floor-to-ceilingwaterfalls offer a serene landscape. The simple furnishings and artgive the two main rooms an inviting feel.
However, the food eclipses the pleasant interior as soon as thefirst bite is taken. The tapas format allows diners to try a largeselection of food without feeling gluttonous or emptying theirwallets. Customers are encouraged to share the dishes, making thedining experience friendlier than usual.
Nandina offers a wide selection of cold, hot and grilled tapasalong with more traditional menu items such as noodles, fried riceand some of the best sushi in town.
The cold tapas were the most lackluster of the bunch. The spicybeef salad ($7), a new addition to the menu, was flavorful but sosalty it was almost hard to eat. The fresh spring rolls ($3.75),stuffed with cilantro, carrots and tomatoes were practicallyflavorless, even after being dipped in the accompanying peanutsauce.
The hot tapas had a few winners. The fried pork and shrimpdumplings ($5.75) were delicious, crispy and did not have anoverpowering shrimp taste. For these, skip on the extra soy saucebecause it makes them a little too salty.
The garlic shrimp ($9.50), another new addition to the Nandinamenu, offers a twist on the lettuce wraps made popular by PFChang’s by using zesty shrimp instead of chicken meat as thefiller.
Traditional Japanese appetizers such as the tempura basket($8.50) were executed nicely with a light and fluffy batter.
The best and most unusual tapas were the grilled ones. TheChilean sea bass, topped with a drizzle of ginger tamari glaze wasamazing and flaky. The lamb chops, two perfect chops accompanied bya wasabi port wine sauce, were tender and, despite being the leastAsian of the items of the menu, were a favorite.
As for the sushi, it was nothing short of delicious. Thetraditional tuna roll ($5.25), California roll ($5.50) andPhiladelphia roll ($5.50) were fresh and light.
The more elaborate rolls, such as the shrimp tempura roll ($6)and the Louisiana roll ($6) were equally delightful, and the rollsare so big that one could make a meal out of two of them. The mostoutstanding roll on the menu was the rainbow roll ($12) thatmarried the flavors and colors of tuna, flounder, salmon andcucumber.
The only disappointment at Nandina was the desert selection.There are only three options, none of which sounded appealing. Ifyou must finish off your meal with something sweet, I recommend ascoop of the refreshing ginger and mango sorbet ($3.50).
Nandina is the ideal place for an intimate date. You can showoff your chopstick skills while snuggling a little closer whensharing the food — all without going broke.
