The tour of Keyort continues…

I ate here just two days after my dad passed away, so I was not in the frame of mind to review this immediately or take any pictures of the food like I usually do. I had received a gift card from a student of mine, and that night seemed as good a time as any to put it to use. It was raining, so unfortunately that kept us off the back deck with a view of Keyport harbor that people rave about. Nemo is an Asian Fusion restaurant located practically across the street from McDonagh’s in the downtown area. I had eaten there once years earlier. 

When we first walked in, we were met with the bright color of the restaurant—an orange-red. The restaurant is rather long; only one row of tables for the most part which brings you to the back. It reminds me of an eatery you would find in New York City. Not being in the particular mood for anything, I saw the specials board offered a Sushi Burrito. I don’t know when this became all the rage, but where I live, only within the last year or so have restaurants been promoting such a creation. I figured, what the hell. Let me try one of these things.

The board listed 10 or 12 choices of which you could pick four to be stuffed into the burrito. My friend joining us and I both had the same thing: tempura chicken, cream cheese, avocado, and spicy tuna. When it arrived, it did indeed look like a burrito. The wrapping of rice and seaweed made a decent “soft taco”. Definitely something to eat with your hands. It was actually pretty good. There was not too much cream cheese (I’m not a big fan), just enough to add a slight creaminess to the crunch of the chicken. The tuna was mild, and the avocado was soft and brought it all together. I would definitely try one again, maybe with a variation on the ingredients.

My mom had a salad topped with pieces of sashimi which she enjoyed, and we all split an order of fried dumplings which appeared to be homemade. With such a limited sampling, I am going to give Nemo a solid 3.5 out of 5 stars, but after another visit, I can see this going a notch higher.

Nemo is located at 27 West Front Street in Keyport, New Jersey

UPDATE: (10/30/17)

Sure enough, we’re going a notch higher. A second visit was so delicious that I had no choice but to give their score an upgrade. I ordered the red curry scallops as a lunch special. For $8.95, they gave four decent-sized scallops in a beautifully earthy curry sauce. There were potatoes, onions, and string beans as well. A nice scoop of brown rice, soup, and salad, made this an unbelievable bargain. Not to mention the scallops were cooked perfectly like little pillows.

My mom had a sashimi platter that she loved, and we shared the shumai appetizer. The skins for this, along with those of the wontons in our soup, were paper-thin and clearly homemade. I am so glad I went back again. Make sure you go for lunch and take advantage of the prices Nemo is offering. We also were able to sit out on the back deck.