The elusive Japanese resto will tempt you with king crab tempura, lobster rolls and tapsilog
COCONUTS HOT SPOT — A glass of Pepino kept me cool and hydrated in the sweltering midday heat. It’s a signature mocktail made of fresh cucumber purée, lychee juice and a squeeze of lemon, carefully crafted by Eder Mendoza, the lead bartender at the Nobu restaurant in San Diego, California, who flew in to train the staff as well as provide refreshments during the private press lunch at a house in Magallanes. Nobu Hotel is still going through a couple of refinements, hence a residence suited for entertaining became the temporary chef’s table.
I would have stayed by the bar and downed the other non-alcoholic cocktail, the Lychee Passion, which has passionfruit and pineapple juice, but they started passing out the hors d’oeuvres and, as what has become customary, I had to withdraw my camera for a mandatory shoot.
Once the gun was back in its holster, I dove in, starting with the lightest in the bunch, the Tuna Taquitos. Small cubes of tuna sashimi took shelter in a mini taco, barely blanketed by a duo of salsas — verde and rojo. The sauces provided the robust flavors, while the fish and taco lent texture more than taste.
Next came the Mini Lobster Roll, where shredded lobster meat and veg had been lubricated by wasabi aioli then stuffed in a steamed and flash fried bun that’s void of oil yet managed to achieve that slightly resistant bite. I noticed how the dishes led to a crescendo, with the climax taking the form of bite-sized pork belly pieces smothered with a thick red sauce that had the sweet and salty in perfect marriage. A crown of minced cucumber balanced off the bold flavors.
We were then ushered into an air-conditioned room (finally!) where Corporate Executive Chef Thomas Buckley confirmed the intended meal progression, explaining that sushi would be served last to cleanse the palate and also because it was the carb-heaviest among the fare — my same rationale.
Inside, a slew of chefs and servers from around the world orchestrated the lunch, and they were quite adept in their knowledge of the dishes and attentive to how fast I finished my premium Nobu sake TK40, refilling my cup in no time.
“The cuisine is Japanese with a lot of Peruvian influences,” says Buckley. “Nobu (Matsuhisa) spent a lot of time in Peru. He developed a style over there and brought back with him a lot of ingredients like citrus and chilies. Everywhere he goes, there’s always a little bit of that region’s influence in his cuisine.”
A proof of which is our lunch starter, the Yellowtail Jalapeño that’s inspired by Nobu’s trip to Hawaii. Thin slices of amberjack fish acted as canvass to chopped green chili, garlic puree and coriander. They’re fanned out on a pool of yuzu and soy, soaking up the salty-sour dressing that rounded out the fat in the fish.
The White Fish Dry Miso was plated similarly with transparent fillets of lapu-lapu in a yuzu-evoo bath. It was predominantly mild with only a subtle sting from the chopped scallions and garlic chips, and tamed pungency from the dehydrated and pulverized miso paste lending savory flavors.
Two heartier dishes trailed behind the sashimi — and by this time, we had moved on from sake to the Nobu Matsuhisa Chardonnay and Cab Sauv. Golden pieces of king crab tempura were piled high in a bowl, sitting on a puddle of ponzu sauce that had an endearing sweetness that matched the slivers of red onion and micro cilantro.
The Black Cod Den Miso had a block of broiled miso-marinated fish cradled in a leaf. The meat flaked off easily and each forkful sent caramel notes to the palate, which could be cleansed with the pickled ginger spear it came with.
After wolfing down impressive plates of seafood, an array of sushi would most likely be faced with neglect. Not necessarily, especially after sampling the House Special, which had five types of sashimi in a roll, embraced not just with nori but also with thinly cut daikon root.
The Kanji dessert — a layer of raspberry jelly, cream, green tea sponge cake, meringue and fresh strawberries — also didn’t go unnoticed as the familiar mix of berries and cream had guests wiping their glasses clean.
Satiated but not grossly stuffed, I stood up for the sake of not falling asleep and got into a conversation with chef Buckley. He confessed that, apart from looking for local ingredients to play with, he was in the process of creating his own version of tapsilog and sisig made with seabass.
It’s a thought that conjured intrigue, interest, and after enjoying that well thought out meal he just prepared for us, much confidence.
Nobu Hotel is at The City of Dreams Manila, Asean Avenue corner Roxas Boulevard, Entertainment City, Parañaque. It is expected to open before the year ends.
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