What to Know About Cuddlefish, Jason Liang’s Café and Handroll Bar in Dunwoody

The space morphs perfectly from daytime café to buzzy restaurant.

Liang brought Cuddlefish to life with the help of John Moores of Lupo Group. The minimalist space feels warm and earthy thanks to green wall and ceiling accents, a taupe floral wall covering, and cream-hued built-ins lined with glassware and decorative touches. The focal point is the green tile clad temaki bar in the center of the restaurant, where diners sit to watch the chefs at work while settling down for made-to-order handrolls. Lined with floor-to-ceiling windows, the dining room floods with natural light creating a tranquil atmosphere, especially in the late afternoon when the sun casts a dreamy glow.

The menu is approachable and fun, with a Taiwanese-American twist.

While O by Brush specializes in exquisitely prepared nigiri served omakase style, Cuddlefish’s calling card is temaki. Temaki, also known as hand rolls, has unclear origins but likely evolved out of a need for quick eats in Japan where the cone-shaped treats could be enjoyed on the go. It’s a concept that resonated with Liang: “I always say it’s one of a chef’s favorite bites, like when we’re making sushi, we’re hungry and want a quick snack, we grab sushi rice with a piece of nori and put whatever things that’s on top,” he says. “I want to share that experience with all my guests.”

At Cuddlefish, the temaki are served open-faced resembling tacos rather than the traditional cone shape. Liang particularly likes the creative flexibility afforded by the hand rolls. “I want to have fun with not only the Japanese element, but also have my Taiwanese-American twist,” he says. Temaki combinations you’ll find on the menu include yellowtail with jalapeño-cilantro salsa, spicy tuna with crispy rice pearls, and shrimp katsu breaded in house-made panko crumbs and topped with pineapple and cantaloupe — the latter draws inspiration from one of Liang’s favorite Taiwanese dishes.

Guests looking to go all out can enjoy a 12-course temaki tasting, which includes other bites like Taiwanese chicken nuggets, miso soup, and a light dessert course (on a recent menu it was a riff on a mille-feuille with matcha, chocolate, and banana). Or, just order individual temaki.

Other items on the menu include appetizers like tuna tartare made with tuna ground in house and a chile aioli, served alongside sweet potato chips; crab and scallop dip, and crispy tofu. A few bowls are on standby, too, like the poke with yellowtail, tuna, salmon, and avocado.

Shifting to drinks, the restaurant serves a tightly curated list of sakes and wine, as well as Japanese sodas (the yuzu variety is particularly refreshing). Sake cocktails, like the strawberry, yuzu, and pink peppercorn combo, add a fun touch. Liang plans to serve Brush’s house-made kombuchas and add nonalcoholic cocktails to the rotation, eventually.

The café doubles as a showcase for chef ChingYao Wang’s artful pastries.

Much like Momonoki shares space with a coffee shop (Momo Cafe), Cuddlefish also has an integrated cafe where guests can fuel up on caffeine and treats. Liang partners with Greenville-based Methodical Coffee who roast a special blend for his restaurants. It’s available in drip or espresso form, with signature drinks like a tiramisu latte that’s popular with guests. “We’ll have our Momo Blend and Lucky Momo, two types of our blends on retail,” says Liang.

The stars of the coffee shop, which opens at 9:00 a.m., are the pastries created by pastry chef ChingYao Wang. They practically leap out of the pastry case when you enter the restaurant, and such is their popularity that if you don’t snag the one that you want, it may disappear by the time you’re ready. Standouts among Wang’s artful treats include the nutty, ever-so-slightly bitter and dense black sesame brownie, and the buttery scallion pinwheel. Meanwhile, Liang also suggests the truffle mushroom croissant and the banana caramel oat cookie. Diners looking to enjoy their treats on site can grab a seat at one of the cafe’s first-come, first-serve tables.

You can take home a souvenir, too.

Cuddlefish contains one last surprise: A market tucked within the cafe. Sushi grade fish, including tuna, salmon, yellowtail, and sea urchin, is available for purchase (perfect for gourmands looking to flex their own sushi-rolling chops). There are also select beverages that the team handpicks to share with guests: “There’s a Taiwanese apple cider that’s very popular right now,” says Liang. As well as some sharp looking merch, the market also offers Taiwanese snacks, vintage Japanese tableware, and “selected cute stuff,” he adds, like a croissant bag charm and chopstick holders.