As one of the most well known restaurants in the industry, as well as having big names such as chef Nobu Matsuhisa and actor Robert De Niro behind them, Nobu has long been a restaurant that I have had my sights set on for quite some time. I had the chance to visit Nobu during my birthday this year, which I took advantage of to try a wide range of their dishes on offer.
Nobu
The sushi bar
Akayuki - Red Snow
Apchee mocktail
Beef tataki with ponzu & garlic chips $28.00
The beef tataki is a dish that I have ordered at almost all the Japanese restaurants that I visit. At Nobu, the beef tataki has a very generous amount of garlic chips and ponzu sauce, which gives it both the lovely flavour of the ponzu sauce, as well as texture from the garlic chips.
Seafood ceviche $18.50
The iconic Nobu seafood ceviche, which has earned praise in many of chef Nobu Matsuhisa's restaurants was the highlight dish of our night. The combination of textures from the different types of seafood made the dish very pleasant to eat, while the slightly acidic dressing gave the dish a good amount of depth.
Snow crab taco $7.00ea / Southern rock lobster taco $10.00ea
Japanese scallop tiradito $24.00
The Japanese scallop tiradito was one of my two favourite dishes of the night. The lovely and fresh ingredients were accentuated with the small amount of spice from the chilli. A great example of excellence in simplicity.
Crispy soft shell crab, spicy ponzu dip $29.00
The crispy soft shell crab was best described as "fun" to eat. The crispy fried coating of the soft shell crab was a nice textural change from most of the previous dishes, as they were noticeably lacking textural differences.
Gippsland beef tenderloin yakimono with wasabi pepper sauce $44.00
The Gippsland beef tenderloin was cooked perfectly and wonderfully tender. The lovely aroma of wasabi and black pepper permeated throughout the dish, which gave it multiple layers of flavour.
Seafood toban yaki $35.00
The seafood toban yaki was the only disappointing dish of the night. The seafood was slightly overcooked and the dish left an odd aftertaste, which was quite unpleasant.
Nobu tasting plate $30.00
We ordered the Nobu dessert tasting plate at the end of our meal, which came out with a nice birthday message for us. The tasting plate was a combination of four of their favourite desserts, including the Nobu Whiskey Cappuccino, Nobu Chocolate Fondant and others. My favourite dessert from the selection would have to be the Whiskey Cappuccino, which made good use of different layers of flavour, such as the coffee creme brulee, espresso bean crumble, milk ice-cream and the signature Suntory Whiskey Foam, which imparted a light, yet complex flavour to the dish.
With professional staff, creative flavours and incredibly fresh ingredients, there is not much more that you can ask for. Apart from one slightly disappointing dish, the entire night was a smooth and pleasant experience, I will definitely be coming back to try some of their other dishes!
Food Rating 9/10
Overall Rating 9/10