Nobu Hotels are dedicated to creating memories around the enjoyment of exceptional food. Pioneered by Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, the iconic “Nobu Style” shared by all his menus is influenced by his years of studying Japanese cuisine in Tokyo and his extensive travels.
The food at Nobu restaurants has always been a celebration of Far Eastern simplicity and fusion food that goes beyond any fad and at Portman Square, this no different. The space is also very “Nobu”, with its contemporary look and huge windows that help create an atmosphere of timeless elegance and contemporary luxury.
Rock Shrimp
Creamy Spicy
Tempura…
One thing I noticed on the menu – apart from the fact that I wanted almost everything on it – was the fact that the calories of each dish are detailed, which became mandatory in Britain in 2018 for restaurants with more than 20 locations. Far from being off-putting, I think it makes it easier for guests to make more educated choices and helps track the amount of energy they will consume when eating out. In our case, being incapable of deciding what we wanted to eat, my guest and I let the chef decide.
We were served a couple of their world-renowned dishes, such as Rock Shrimp Creamy Spicy Tempura – perfectly crispy and dangerously addictive – and the deliciously tender and flavoursome Black Cod Miso – a classic among classics – and some dishes from their signature tasting menu (Omakase).
Black Cod Miso, one of Nobu’s most acclaimed dishes.
The most outstanding for me was the Yellowtail Tartare set in soy wasabi sauce, topped with Osetra Caviar and served with wakamomo (Japanese baby peach) on the side. The Beef toban-yaki was to die for too: beef tenderloin cooked on clarified butter on a ceramic plate (that is what Toban-yaki means), flamed with sake with yuzu soy sauce.
I must also mention the Sashimi Salad with Matsushisa dressing, which consists of tuna and salmon tataki, (seared at very high temperarture) and field green salad with a soy onion-based dressing called Matsuhisa. It was brought to us at the same time as the chef’s selection of sushi, all of which we wolfed down in minutes.
It may be difficult to believe we had space in our tummies for anything else but space we found, enough to share a Chocolate bento box: a deliciously indulgent dark chocolate fondant served with green tea ice cream. I had eyed the Upper Berkeley ST cheesecake too but I simply couldn’t eat anymore. I saw it brought to another table and I’ll make sure to order it in my next visit.
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