Nobu Tokyo is part of the Nobu group owned by chef Nobu Matsuhisa. The Nobu group has 32 restaurants in 28 different cities around the world, across five continents.
After living a few years in South America and Alaska, Nobu Matsuhisa opened his first restaurant in Beverly Hills, Matsuhisa, in January 1987. It was an immediate hit. This is where he met his longtime friend and business partner, Robert de Niro. In 1994 they opened their first Nobu together in New York City.
I did not see Robert de Niro when I went to Nobu Tokyo but I certainly had a great time and a very good dinner with my friend Lee!
The restaurant is very elegant and welcoming. The wood on the floor and the ceiling lend a very warm atmosphere to the restaurant. There is a bar on one side of the restaurant where you can wait for your table or have a glass after dinner, a sushi bar on the other side, and in the middle a space for tables and chairs.
For lunch, they have their amazing bento, a beautiful presentation of different foods in stylish lacquered boxes.
For dinner, you can choose the chef’s surprise set menu or order a la carte. They have a considerable choice of different meals to offer. We decided to go with their surprise menu. I love this kind of dinner because you can taste a little bit of everything and have a pretty good idea of what the chef is capable of.
The seven courses started with salmon tartar, shrimp, and caviar presented on a giant leaf.
Second, came the sushi dish. Four bites of four different fresh fish.
After the sushi came the sashimi – an excellent presentation of white fish and scallops served with raw vegetables.
The codfish with tempura vegetables were delicious.
Beef with asparagus and brown sauce. The meat was very tender.
To finish the savory dishes, Soba with daikon. I was very happy because during this trip to Tokyo I had not had a chance to go to a soba restaurant.
For dessert, each of us received a different dish. Lee had the strawberry cake with fresh strawberries and I had the yuzu-kaki cream. Both were very good and beautifully presented.
Nobu is a chic and yet casual restaurant. If you are going with people and you are unsure of what they like, you can’t go wrong with this choice.
Nobu Tokyo
4-1-28 Toranomon. Minato-ku
+81.3.5733.0070
Price: $$$$
The seven courses dinner menu will cost ¥12,000 ($115 – €105).
The lunch menu can vary from ¥3,500 to 8,000 ($34 to 78 – 30 to €70).
