The Nobu Way
A preview of the great things—and flavors—headed your way.
A preview of the great things—and flavors—headed your way.
There are Japanese restaurants, and there are fusion restaurants. And then there is Nobu, the eponymous and iconic restaurant of Chef Nobuyuki
Matsuhisa. To describe it merely as Japanese, or fusion, would do it a great disservice. The best description would be the words of the chef himself, who once said in an interview with Hello! magazine, “I was inspired by Peru— then my basic cooking style was influenced by South America. It’s not newstyle Japanese, it’s just cooking based on my experiences travelling all over the continent. It opened my mind. It’s Nobu-style cooking!”
When City of Dreams Manila has its grand launch in early 2015, the first Nobu Hotel in Asia will be a part of the integrated casino resort, and Filipinos will not need to travel abroad to experience what his chefs and managers proudly and affectionately refer to as the “Nobu-san Way.” A few weeks ago, some members of the media were given the chance to experience Nobu cuisine at a special preview meal. Experience is an apt word because eating at Nobu is about more than just the food.
What I will take away with me from lunch with the Nobu team, aside from the taste of the remarkable food, is that feeling of being special. And that, in a nutshell, is the Nobu philosophy.
Casper Khamphouy, the restaurant manager of Nobu Manila, explained that “what Nobu-san instills in us is the way that you would bring someone into your house and be a host by showing him a good time. The way we do our food is not just to throw everything onto the table. There’s a rhyme and reason for every single dish.”
THE NOBU SIGNATURE
We started with pass-around hors
d’oeuvres. The pass-arounds were the sort that made it impossible to stop at just one. Tuna taquitos, in which salsa verde and salso rojo flirted with small cubes of tuna sashimi garnished with microgreens, had us all agreeing that Japanese cuisine and South American cuisine were a perfect pair. A squeeze of calamansi over the taquito made my mouth water for more. It was very South American, and very Filipino too. Mini Lobster Rolls were the classic American lobster roll, Nobu-fied with a hit of wasabi mayonnaise and tucked into deep fried one-bite rolls that had an airy, chewy texture. And finally, Pork Belly Kushiyaki Spicy Miso. The fat melted in my mouth with the kind of buttery texture that can only be achieved by hours, if not days of slow cooking. The glaze was sticky, salty, spicy, sweet— richness atop richness, except that just before my taste buds gave up from sensory overload, they were saved by the fresh relish of shallots and cilantro that crowned each bite-sized piece. And then I wanted more.
We sat down to lunch, and the courses were served family-style. This is the way at all Nobu restaurants, and makes for a great shared dining experience. The first course is the palate opener, Khampouy explains, a lighter dish to build the meal upon. In this case a signature Yellowtail Jalapeño, paper thin hamachi, a dab of garlic puree, a bit of jalapeño pepper, citrusy yuzu-soy dressing. A mound of fresh cilantro pulled everything together with its herbal freshness. The next course was sashimi too, but completely different from the first. White Fish Dry Miso was a spare description for what the dish actually was—a delightful balance of tart and umami flavors. Local lapu-lapu was lightly coated with yuzu and extra virgin olive oil. The fish was topped with crisp garlic chips, unusu- ally mild in flavor, and miso paste that had been dehydrated until it was pure, concentrated umami. Despite the use of ingredients that are normally strong flavored, the dish was nuanced and restrained, no one flavor overwhelmed, and the freshness of the fish came through. This was my favorite dish.
As the meal progressed I saw what Nobu Manila’s executive chef Zachary Hillberry had talked about. “To give you the full experience, each flavor and course is different and unique.” The next course was bolder. King Crab Tempura, still crisp and steaming hot, piled high with raw red onion and microgreens, and strewn with slices of our local sili. The whole tower sits in a bowl, on top of a puddle of tart- sweet ponzu sauce, and the trick is to mix everything up like a salad so that you get a bit of each element when you eat. You’d expect all that raw onion to kill all other flavors, but it only lends a slight pungency that cuts through the deep-fried morsels of crab. This was also my favorite dish.
Fatty, buttery black cod was beautifully presented in a banana leaf, and balanced sweet and savory with its miso, sake, and sugar glaze. A spear of blush pink pickled ginger was more than a garnish; it was meant to be nibbled on to wake up your palate in between bites of fish. Deemed a carbheavy dish, the sushi was served last. The Nobu Manila’s head sushi chef, Akihisa Kawai, had earlier given us a hands- on lesson on making sushi, which made us appreciate the platter in front us even more.
During the meal, we were plied with Nobu’s Junmai Daiginjo Sake, TK40 Sake, and Matsuhisa Private Selection Chardonnay, and d Cabernet Sauvignon from Russian River Valley, all exclusive to the Nobu restau-
‘ To give you the full experience, each flavor and course is different and unique.’
rants. “If Nobu-san likes something, he buys it out for the restaurants,” Khampouy tells me. The same is true for the very premium Ikaati tea, which will be exclusive to the Nobu Tea Lounge
GLOBAL BRAND, LOCAL TASTES
Nobu Manila will serve the same signature dishes as its sister restaurants around the world. However, it will also use local products. The team has spent months visiting markets and farmers around the country to source ingredients, and develop recipes.To source locally rather than just import everything is the Nobu Way. It is part of what Khampouy and corporate executive chef Thomas Buckley call “taking the extra step,” and is integral to the restaurants. “The underlying theme of the stories boiled down to three things: Nobu-san’s philosophy of serving the best quality food, cooked with passion, and using your heart in everything that you do.”
That heart was evident from beginning to end of our preview lunch. The Nobu team themselves waited on us, offering each dish and drink with an explanation that made our mouths water, and a friendly courtesy that had us feeling like friends rather than guests.
When Nobu Manila opens, its ambiance and the outdoor cabana-styled dining terrace with views of Manila Bay coupled will the Nobu name will draw in the crowds, but if the hospitality we experienced at the preview is any indication, I believe that it will be the food, the service, and the heart that Chef Nobu instills into each member of his team around the world that will keep people coming back for more. cbj2005@gmail.com