It’s hard to walk into this Lower Greenville space without getting a little misty-eyed about the late Liberty Noodles. It was the kind of place we were proud of, where we brought out-of-towners as if to say, “See? Dallas is cool.” But Jeffrey Yarbrough and Annie Wong can take comfort in knowing that Nandina is keeping the tradition of well-prepared Asian specialties alive, thanks to chef Seiji Wakabayashi. When Nandina first opened its doors more than two years ago, the big deal here was tapas, a trend that had broken free from its Spanish borders to encompass all kinds of cuisine. At Nandina that meant a fat, fleshy sea bass with ginger tamari glaze or two lamb chops, a portion only big enough for a bite or two. But those small plates left enough room to sample other delights, including an assortment of fresh sushi.
Thankfully, those delicious tapas are still on the menu, but now there’s a selection of Thai dishes, too. On a recent night, we had zero complaints about any of our food, no matter its country of origin. Sea bass was as sweet and supple as ever; chicken penang was a tongue-tingling mix of sweet pineapple and hot curry; rainbow roll was fat and fresh with strips of salmon, avocado, and tuna; and a volcano roll was an eruption of flavors, the cool mayonnaise a tasty contrast to the zesty red chile sauce. Even run-of-the-mill chicken fried rice was anything but, and pad Thai pleased our picky noodle eater. The best news of the night? Nandina serves—and delivers—until 3 am. Makes sense for the neighborhood, but this restaurant is too special for its address.
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