Well Fed On the Town

This, the second opportunity I had to dine at one of the twenty-two global Nobu locations, was every bit as memorable as the first. An opportunity to enjoy a meal at Nobu Waikiki provided all of the inspiration necessary to arrange a day trip to Oahu, while vacationing on Kauai in Hawaii.

During a trip to Miami Beach last year, I tried the Chef’s Omakasa at Nobu, Miami Beach. The Omakasa is Nobu’s version of a tasting menu. This nine course prix fie menu, varies daily and features the items that the chef chooses to highlight that day. Typically this is a blend of Nobu signature dishes, along with the finest and freshest available in the kitchen that evening.

So, having enjoyed the Omakasa, I knew I wanted something different…but what? Well, with the assistance of some of the best informed, most helpful and expert waitstaff I have ever had the pleasure of spending an evening with, we created our own sampling of Nobu’s best.

The first course was a Nobu signature dish. Yellowtail Sashimi with Jalapeno and Cilantro in a Soy-Miso Sauce with Yuzu syrup.

Nobu’s House Special Roll and Soft Shell Crab Roll made up our second course.

The third course we went with Nagiri Sushi. Two pieces each of Amaebi (Sweet Shrimp), Maguro (Tuna), Sake (Salmon), Hamachi (Yellowtail), Ono (Wahoo) and Toro (Fatty Tuna). In the words of the lovely woman sharing dinner with me, “Thanks for ruining Sushi for me everywhere else.” A sushi lover’s confession…I’d never had Toro. Sure, I’d heard of it, fatty tuna. Typically, for whatever reason, I steer clear of menu items that say “Market Price”. Don’t ask me why. I have never shied away from the high price items on a menu, and in fact have often made special requests that have dramatically increased the price of the final tab. But, I had avoided Toro until this meal.

If you are a sushi lover and, like I was have never had Toro. Go, have it. Enjoy it. The soft, buttery texture just melts on your tongue, dissolving into a burst of heavenly flavor against the pallet. Think of it as a life changing delicacy, not as eating at $12.00 a bite.
Each order was decided upon following the success of the previous course. The waitstaff would stop by for some brief discuss, mixed in with pleasant conversation, the collection of some opinions, and then they were off again in pursuit of the next great thing we were to eat. At this point, I would like to note the professionalism and expertise of Nobu. Every individual I spoke with had been relocated to the newly opened Waikiki location from other, established Nobu locations. Our waiter from Miami Beach, the Manager from New York, the Bartender, also from Miami Beach.

Ah! The Bartender…I began the evening with a signature Matsuhisa Martini. Stoli Vodka, Hokusetsu Sake and Ginger, garnished with cucumbers that were so cold, they had the slight crunch of freeze to them. Very refreshing. With dinner we enjoyed a “Bamboo” of Nobu Jyunmai Daiginjo sake. When I say Bamboo, I mean that a fresh, green piece of Bamboo was cut, such that each section would be watertight. The Bamboo, filled with this Sake available only to Nobu was served fresh from the freezer with small cups cut from fresh Bamboo as well, a unique and wonderful experience.

Fourth course! As it turns out, my dining partner had never enjoyed Hearts of Palm. We had Nobu’s Hearts of Palm salad with thin, wide shavings of Hearts of Palm tossed in a ginger dressing with fresh greens.

For our fifth, and last, dinner course, it was a very tough choice between Nobu’s Broiled Black Cod in Miso, one of, if not the, most famous signature dishes at Nobu. In the end however, the temptation of the new dish, a King Crab Tempura with Ponzu sauce was just too much. The pieces of King Crab were large and within the crunchy, salty tempura they were soft, juicy and buttery.

Two desserts finished off our meal. Mandarin, Kona Coffee: Cinnamon Panna Cotta, mandarin sorbet and a very light Kona Coffee flavored foam served with a praline crunch wafer. The second was a Milk Chocolate Cremoso: Milk Chocolate, lilikoi curd and gelee, Nobu cabarnet caviar and peanut butter powder. Even a number of dedicated foodies couldn’t tell you what some of that is. However, the one that floored us was Peanut Butter Powder. It was Peanut Butter that had been mixed and treated with a special flour treatment that left it as a very fine, soft powder. Once it hit your tongue it would reconstitute into an excellent peanut butter right in your mouth. With the melty, but dense milk chocolate and the tang from the lilkoi curd and gelee (as well as the cabarnet caviar) this was the most decidant version of a Reese’s the world has ever known.
Photos courtesy of the Nobu Restaurants websites.

Nobu Waikiki
2233 Helumoa Rd
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 237-6999