Fusion done right
Nobu dinner features Filipino dishes with a touch of Japanese and Peruvian
WHILE ON HIS annual vacation in the Philippines, Nobu New York’s Executive Chef Ricky Estrellado, in a collaboration with Nobu Manila’s Head Chef Michael de Jesus, served up Filipino dishes served a la Nobu, with Japanese-Peruvian influences on Aug. 18 and 19, in the City of Dreams Manila.
The dinner made it diff icult (in a good way) to draw a line between where Filipino ended and where the Nobu influence started, thus reflecting a universality in taste between the two, as long as there is mutual respect for the ingredients used.
By respect, we mean that the integrity of the ingredient is well- preserved, and most tasted as they would have been in nature. Any other additions are not mere frills but superb enhancements.
Consider, for example, a Newstyle yellowtail with green mango puree and dried bagoong (fermented fish paste). The dish is a reference to the popular Filipino snack, but with careful preparation, the garnishes seem to serve to elevate the humble kitchen mess into something supreme, fit to serve on the fanciest tables. The mango puree, for example, extolled the freshness of the fish, while the bagoong gives the dish a kick that makes one smile, that this, apparently, could be pulled off.
This dish followed a gyoza ( pot sticker) cone holding sisig (chopped pig’s face) and foie gras, the mushy parts of the two forming a delectable combination, while the heat and the cartilage from the sisig saves it from being boring. The seared kinilaw ( ceviche) with ceviche gelee which followed the gyoza cone had a fresh taste with a reverence for the sea, while seaweed provides an interesting texture.
Guests sipped and nibbled at a Spiny lobster tempura, which was splashed with miso sinigang ( sour soup) consomme, achieved by clarifying a miso soup with lobster stock and then jazzed up as a sinigang with souring agents. The next course was a sous-vide Crispy Pata with amazu ponzu and laing (a spicy dish of spicy dish of taro leaves cooked in coconut milk). The humble laing was dressed up with lotus leaves and Brussels sprouts, while the crispy pata was intimately tender without sacrificing a crispy skin. Who knew that pork could be oh-so-sexy? Beef short ribs with kare-kare (peanut sauce stew) anticucho (a sort of Latin barbecue sauce) came next, tasting smoky and powerful. And what would a trip to a Japanese restaurant be without sushi? Here, the sushi was made up of reinterpretations of Filipino home cooking, such as a Shima aji tinapa ( smoked fish)- style, Local tuna ginataan (a visual treat; think of a slice of perfectly pink tuna with a dollop of rich coconut cream), flounder adobo (stewed in vinegar), Belt fish sprinkled with salted egg yolks, and crispy garlic rice holding a salay salay paksiw (another vinegar-base stew). For dessert, a halo-halo was served, with green tea praline, adzuki beans, ube (purple yam) ice cream, yuzu jelly, sesame mochi, all served under a bed of shaved coconut ice. Condensed milk with a splash of honey was poured over the confection. Said Mr. Estrellado: “People are so afraid of eating at Nobu. I don’t understand why — I guess what we want is for people to learn that Nobu food is not just for the elite.”
Mr. Estrellado has worked with celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa for 22 years. “I guess the biggest thing I’ve learned from him is [ that] customers always come first,” he said. He added, “Plus — no shortcuts. Everything has to be done the right way, even though it takes a lot of time.”
He then told a story about Mr. Matsuhisa. “I think a French person [ said to him], ‘ Our beef stock takes six hours, or eight hours to make. Dashi (a Japanese stock that serves as a base for many dishes) takes 45 minutes.”
“Nobu said, ‘ No. The kombu that goes in the dashi took two years to make. The bonito... in that dashi took a year and a half to make. So that dashi is over two years old.”
Mr. Estrellado said, “Good food takes a while to make.” Like most people who are good at what they do, they make it look easy, following the Italian concept of sprezzatura which flourished in Italian courts during the renaissance. The principle works as if making the difficult look easy, and looking good while doing it. “It looks so simple, but it’s not.” —