Popping In To A Pop-Up

One of the most interesting things to arrive on the New Orleans culinary scene in many years would have to be NOCHI, a school affiliated with Tulane University that trains prospective workers in our essential hospitality industry. 

What is unique about this program is that all of these graduates have been trained in all areas of the industry. They trade jobs throughout their training so that they leave school with some understanding of all aspects of what it takes to run a restaurant, both front and back of the house and even the business part of it. The training is so comprehensive that a few have gone right into business for themselves. These are anomalies, but most go on to good jobs somewhere in town.

We are enthralled with this operation as consumers because we have been to several of their pre-graduation pop-ups, where the students actually play different roles on different days of the two-week run.

These pop-ups are the culmination of a lot of planning. The process is as follows: At the end of training, the students break into three groups and plan a concept presenting the name and type of food to their instructors, who then choose one of these to execute. The class then reunites behind the chosen concept, playing all the roles in any restaurant. They fill the kitchen and wait staff, and rotate throughout the positions for the duration of the pop-up. 

We just attended the most recent of these concepts, and I find them to be among the most enjoyable dining experiences out there. First, I love the place. NOCHI is located in a building I have always admired on the corner of Carondelet and Howard Avenue right off Lee Circle. The cafe is on the third floor with windows aplenty. The space is casually glamorous, featuring a completely open kitchen. 

The students are dressed in crisp conventional waitstaff attire, and the entire operation has the look of a first-class dining experience. That never falters throughout the meal, right down to the last detail, like wispy flower arrangements featuring mint leaves, a staple in that part of the world.

My only complaint is that the concepts seem a little far out. Perhaps they would bring in more people with slightly more familiar food. The last one was Indian, and this one was North African: foods from Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco. What is most outstanding about this place is that everything is so well done that even truly exotic foods are presented masterfully, and it is all quite delicious.  First-class establishments around town could take plating lessons from this bunch. (Actually, lots of other lessons could be learned from these students as well.)

This particular pop-up was called T’Mazza, which means “joy in small bites.”The menu is the perfect size, with about four options in each course. For appetizers, we went straight to the mezze platter, which encompassed all but one of the appetizer courses, leaving a refreshing salad behind.

The platter included smoked mushroom hummus with olive oil, sumac, and herbs, roasted carrots with spicy labneh for dipping, and a little dish of Chermoula marinated shrimp. We watched the housemade pita come to life from our vantage point and enjoyed it with our mezze platter. To be honest, the pita was too thin and it more resembled a cracker rather than a true pita. Nevertheless, such dippers are important for hummus and other creamy things on this plate. And we enjoyed watching the pita as it was made.

The mushroom hummus was different than what we usually expect in a hummus. It was lighter and creamier and I loved this version. The smoked mushrooms didn’t make much of an impression individually, but together with the hummus it was a nice mouthful and a great mouthfeel.

We also loved the shrimp, which came artfully plated with shrimp and melon balls separated by a swirly cucumber ribbon. The marinade on the shrimp was different and delicious in its own right, somehow putting the actual shrimp flavor front and center, rather than how we do it, which is crab boil flavor masquerading the actual protein’s taste. Interesting. (And I mean that in a good way.) The cucumber had a vinaigrette flavor and the melon offset this nicely, kicking in a clean sweet taste. There were little dollops of labneh here, and subtle aleppo pepper and mint flavors.

Roasted carrot sticks came as a generous portion over a schmear of labneh with fennel seeds, feta, fresh dill, and harissa oil. The feta in this dish elevated it along with the punch of harissa oil. I am not normally a big fan of labneh, but these additions to it made it very good.

We ordered everything in the entree section except the vegetarian shawarma. Somehow that smacks of blasphemy, creative though it is.

Tom had the North African version of Bouillabaisse, cooked in a tagine. I would love to have had it served traditionally in the tagine, but it was plated so beautifully that there is no room for complaint. Mussels were ample, with crab claws nestled in them. There were shrimp and a nice piece of fish, whole tomatoes, and couscous. Not much sauce, but perhaps that’s the way they do it there. It was a saffron tomato broth with fennel. Everything on that plate was perfect, and the spice level was not too arresting. We both loved this.

My harissa chicken was not as great as I was expecting, but it was very good. The chicken was the right size, not the bloated variety. My mild disappointment had more to do with my expectations than any defect in the dish. Maybe it wasn’t as spicy as I thought, or maybe I’m just being picky. It was tender and terrific in every other way. More couscous, which there was too much of on this menu. This couscous had some green tahini under it, which I had never had before. There were grilled onions and charred peppers here as well, which was a nice added veggie.

The Lamb Merguez zucchini dish was so unexpected I chuckled. When we in New Orleans think of something like stuffed zucchini, I think of a hollowed-out shell of the vegetable breaded and deep-fried with a stuffing that includes sausage. But why should that be with a steady stream of gourmet dishes? This was so gourmet I was powerfully impressed. The zucchini was hollowed and roasted with a subtle spice and inside were kebabs. This was served over a mound of couscous and dabbed with labneh. Tom loved this sausage and relished the leftovers the next day.

There were five desserts, including an intriguing Labneh Cheesecake, but we went authentic and got Stenji, which means doughnuts. It reminded me of one of my favorite travel experiences, stumbling into a neighborhood in Izmir, Turkey, where everyone was making doughnuts in the street. They brought us straight to the front of the line and simply wouldn’t hear of us paying for them. A charming cultural exchange for our kids to witness.

These doughnuts looked just like those doughnuts from that wonderful day, but the NOCHI version was again plated so beautifully. The doughnuts were a tad greasy, but the grilled peaches offset that nicely. Also on this plate was a honey drizzle and some roasted pistachios. Very gourmet. Tom had some coffee in the style of the region and he was blissfully happy with all of this.

The little complimentary cookies were a nice touch. And delicious as well. They were created by student Joel Hubbard (graduating next month) and inspired by Moroccan tea cookies. The first was a whole wheat cardamom cookie, then a Fekka, which is a traditional Moroccan biscotti, next was a Gazelle Horn, a crescent filled with almond paste and infused with flower water, and Joel's own creation of a vegan tea cookie, made with orange zest, orange water and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

We just can’t say enough about this wonderful addition to the dining scene here. Count us in for all of these!