Perfection on a Plate
His name evokes awed whispers and a great deal of respect from diners and his professional peers. Renowned chef Nobu Matsuhisa talks about his beginnings and the philosophy behind his exquisite dishes
The conversations in the room suddenly become hushed and a note of awe enters the voices of diners as their first course is placed before them. But it isn’t just any ordinary plate of food: it is a work of edible art. Three tiny bowls hold an elegant trio of bitesized temari-zushi; a squid nigiri is artfully made to look like a miniature koi; and a there is a small square of sweetly savoury tamagoyaki emblazoned with the chef ’s name: NOBU.
As part of his 2019 Asia-Pacific tour, awardwinning chef Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa was recently in the country for an exclusive one-nightonly dinner at his eponymous restaurant at City of Dreams Manila. Almost as soon as the event was announced, the two scheduled seatings at 6PM and 8PM were immediately sold out.
Such is Nobu’s reputation that he has become the sort of culinary artist who needs no introduction. Since his Los Angeles restaurant Matsuhisa first opened in 1987, his name has become synonymous with amazing food inspired by Peruvian cuisine, prepared according to traditional Japanese methods, and infused with flavours from across the globe—the result of his extensive international travels.
“I travel for about 10 months of the y ear and stay home for two,” Nobu says with a smile. “So, the Nobu style of cooking combines the Peruvian and Japanese concepts of food with the influences of different countries.”
It is a journey that has taken the chef decades since his childhood in Saitama, Japan where he first dreamt of taking up a culinary car eer. He credits one of his older brothers for giving him the inspiration for that dream.
“My brother took me to a sushi restaurant when I was a boy,” he recalls with wide-eyed wonder. “I sat down at the counter, took one bite—and wow! It was then that I wanted to become a chef.”
Nobu started work at Sushi Matsue in Tokyo almost immediately after graduating from high school, patiently going through the different and sometimes tedious phases of apprenticeship. His lucky break came seven years later when a customer of Peruvian descent invited him to come and work for him in Lima, Peru. Over the next three years, Nobu would lay down the foundations for his own signature style of cookery.
“The Peruvian people were quite open to other styles of food,” he explains, noting how Peruvians appreciated different cuisines and cooking methods. “I combined my style of cooking with theirs.” At this, the chef breaks out into a big mischievous grin. “Now I have restaurants around the world.”
That isn’t an exaggeration. As of press time, there are a total of 41 Nobu restaurants worldwide; aside from the Philippines, Asian outposts include Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong. The chef has also expanded his corporate interests to include a foray into the hospitality sector, with 12 hotels in places like London, Las Vegas, and Ibiza. Several new hotels, including branches in Barcelona and Los Cabos, are currently in the pipeline.
The secret to Nobu’s success lies in his emphasis on using only the best ingredients at all his restaurants, the use of pristine techniques in the kitchen, and impeccable service in the front of the house. After all, he is all about customer satisfaction.
“My philosophy is always to use the best—and to do one’s best,” Nobu says. “I like to take the customer’s side because cooking isn’t for me—it’s for the customers, and I’d like to see them smile. We have to give back to our customers, to give them a nice feeling.”
The dining room falls into an excited hush again as waiters glide in with a main course of black cod marinated in white miso with mirin and sake. It is one of Nobu’s most popular dishes: meaty, rich, with an appealing sweetness balanced by a bare touch of salt. It takes a while to prepare; but, as Nobu himself puts it, you cannot rush perfection.
“Never rush,” is his admonition to both chefs and the world at large. “Just do things one at a time, step by step.”