Nobody does brunch better than Nobu
You know it’s Nobu — there’s nobody quite like Nobu Matsuhisa when it comes to Japanese fusion cuisine.
At 24, he was invited by a Peruvian customer to open a restaurant in Peru. There he developed his unique style of cooking that incorporated umami-rich Peruvian ingredients into Japanese dishes. Then he moved to LA and opened his own restaurant in Beverly Hills, which caught the discriminating eye — and taste buds— of Hollywood celebrities like Robert De Niro, who invited him to open a resto in Tribeca, New York. The unstoppable duo was soon opening Nobu in different parts of the globe faster than you could say sushi!
And now, this dream resto is at City of Dreams Manila where it’s serving brunch, hot and fresh!
For Nobu, fresh is best. There’s a humongous 50-kilo yellow-fin tuna that just came in from GenSan, South Cotabato. And sooo much more to make sushi lovers squeal with delight: tuna, lapu-lapu, salmon, yellowtail. And here’s food for trout, er, thought: You can have your trout cooked a la minute.
Indulge with nary a trace of guilt, too, in the skewered meats grilled before your eyes. They’re waiting to be dipped in the sauce of your choice: teriyaki sauce, wasabi pepper or anticucho (yellow pepper) sauce.
Over at another station is the famous Japanese savory pancake, okonomiyaki, which looks more like a round solo pizza to me. The Japanese like to fill it up with assorted meats and veggies and serve it with their fave sauce.
Nobu-dy like him: Chef Nobu Matsuhisa has built an empire of 36 restaurants in 28 cities on five continents.
Nobu’s finely crafted and curated Sunday brunch buffet with evolving live-action stations also serves chef Nobu’s signature dishes like White Fish Tiradito, tuna tataki in cilantro dressing, and Wagyu Beef Taco. The Hot Dishes section’s got shrimp in spicy garlic sauce, sea bass jalapeño, umami marinated chicken, braised short ribs with sautéed mushrooms, and crispy pork belly in spicy miso. Cooking on the sizzling teppanyaki tables are Alaskan crab legs with aji amarillo (hot yellow chili pepper), uni (sea urchin), and XO fried rice.
The dessert corner beckons sinfully with its breakfast pastry selections (this is, after all, brunch) and pastry miniatures. Taking center stage is the flowing fountain of matcha white ganache chocolate served with condiments. Sure to warm your heart is this rich mixture of chocolate and cream melted slowly together, whipped as filling or icing or simply poured over something, as the French probably did it back in the mid-1800s.
“Brunch is kind of new to Nobu so this is the model,” says Akihisa Kawai, head sushi chef, who says it took him more than three years before he was allowed to hold a knife and cut raw fish/meat. “Next week, we will do something even better. We have a Nobu standard — the menu is basically the same for all Nobu restaurants around the world, only a few items are different.”
Where does Nobu source its supplies? “We buy from all over the world depending on the season,” replies Akihisa. “There are so many varieties of local fish here, but the water here is kind of warm, which means the fish swims slowly and that’s not good because it is less fatty and has less taste. In cold water, the fish moves faster so it has more taste. Water affects the taste of the fish. To make up for the lack of taste, we use different preparations and techniques.”
“Nobu is a state of mind — Japanese culture is very thoughtful, methodical,” asserts Kenny Hernandez, Nobu restaurant manager, City of Dreams Manila. “Chef Nobu takes it to his own style and service. Everything he does is well thought out. So any Nobu property in the world you go, you get that same feeling. You get the same authentic Nobu experience.”
Fresh is best: Head sushi chef Akihisa Kawai works on a 50-kilo tuna caught in GenSan, Cotabato.
Kenny elaborates, “The Nobu philosophy is just having a great time, eating good food, enjoying yourself so that you really want to come back and try something different, especially now that we’re doing breakfast, brunch, and dinner. There’s something for everyone at all hours of the day.”
Expect only the finest kitchen team at Nobu. Chef Nobu spends a lot of personal time with his chefs (like Nobu Manila’s own talented Pinoy chefs) to make sure that nothing is wasted. “Chef Nobu believes in using every part of the ingredient because it is of high quality and not good for wasting,” Kenny points out.
No doubt about it, nobody does it better than Nobu!
Sooo fresh sushi: Nobu’s sushi/sashimi counter brims with assorted fresh offerings.
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Nobu Manila is located at the pool deck, level 1, Nobu Hotel, City of Dreams, Entertainment City, Parañaque. It has 335 seats with two private dining rooms, a sushi bar, floating water cabanas, two teppanyaki tables, and a Chef’s Table. It is open 6 to 10 a.m. for buffet breakfast; brunch every Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; dinner, 6 to 10 p.m., Mondays to Thursdays, and 6 to 11 p.m., Fridays to Sundays. For inquiries and reservations, call 800-8080; email guestservices@cod-manila.com; visit cityofdreams.com.ph.
