SEVEN SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT CHEF NOBU MATSUHISA

For a renowned chef with a global restaurant and hotel empire, Nobu Matsuhisa is incredibly humble and down-to-earth. During his recent one-night-only appearance at Nobu Kuala Lumpur, the affable chef won the local media over with his thoughtful and often witty answers.

Accompanied by Ichibaku Kobayashi – General Manager of Nobu Tokyo & Regional Director of Asia Pacific, Chef Herve Courtot – Corporate Chef EU & Middle East, and Chef Philip Leong – Executive Chef of Nobu KL at the interview session, here are some surprising facts about the Co-Founder behind Nobu and Nobu Hotels:

1.    The most memorable meal he has ever cooked was for the late Princess Diana. It was a private lunch where he had a chance to meet the late Princess of Wales who left an indelible impression on Nobu-san when she told the chef she had read about him. When he learned of her passing, he felt incredibly sad and said the experience of having cooked for her was unforgettable. 

2.   The most memorable meal someone has ever cooked for him was by his wife-to-be before they were married. He recalled she prepared an egg dish for him. “Although the dish tasted a bit strange, I think it was wonderful because it was something she cooked from the heart.”

3.   The three food ingredients he cannot live without: rice, shoyu and miso soup. He attributed these ingredients as most essential to a Japanese diet especially steamed white rice. 

4.   The secrets to his success: While luck may play a role in Nobu-san’s success, the master chef believes his team is one of the fundamentals of his continued success.

“Passion and heart are also essential,” says Chef Nobu. “Without passion and heart, it’s not possible to do well.” 

5.   His favourite dishes from the Nobu menu are:

·      Black Cod Miso – When Nobu-san started his restaurant over two and half decades ago, he chose to buy cod as it only cost 25 cents per pound. Without credit he had to pay cash so he chose to work with cod as a more affordable option: slicing, defrosting then marinating the fish with mirin, sake, sugar and miso paste for 3 days instead of shoyu and miso. After broiling, the cod tasted like butter fish and his customers love it. Robert De Niro loved it and the media started to publicize it, making it famous worldwide. 

·      Soft Shell Crab Roll – Nobu-san enjoys eating soft shell crabs in French and Italian restaurants where they are pan- and deep-fried. When he served deep-fried soft shell crabs to one of his customers, the latter requested Chef Nobu to wrap the leftover soft shell crab pieces into a rice roll, and voila! the soft shell crab roll was created.

·      Squid ‘Pasta’ – this dish was created for a friend’s child who was a fussy eater. Since pasta was the kid's favourite dish, the quick-thinking Nobu-san cut and blanched squid; turning the resultant squid pieces into conchiglie (shell-shaped pasta), prompting the kid to eat everything up without realising it wasn’t pasta he ate but squid. You can attempt to replicate this dish at home: https://www.noburestaurants.com/home/nobu-at-home-2/squid-pasta-with-light-garlic-sauce-2/

·      New Style Sashimi – when a lady customer sent back a plate of sashimi, informing Chef Nobu she doesn’t eat raw fish, the chef pondered how to entice her to try it. He then heated up some olive oil until smoking hot, poured it over the thin slices of sashimi, causing the fish to cook slightly. After sampling the new dish, the customer ate everything up. 

“She managed overcome her fear of eating raw fish from that experience. Before that, she shied away from sashimi as she thought it’d taste fishy but we proved to her fresh fish tastes delicious” said Nobu-san.

6.   No bizarre food please. Chef Nobu is not a fan of weird or strange food. He has tried nasi goreng, laksa and seafood on his visit to Malaysia, and he admitted he's more comfortable with Asian food than French food.

Ever respectful of his customers’ cultural differences, the chef was even inspired to create his signature wasabi pepper sauce after noticing a customer enjoying a mixture of shoyu and wasabi as a bread dip at Nobu restaurant.

The Pandemic Years

Having to travel 10 months a year and feeling jetlagged, Nobu-san said he was happy to stay home in Los Angeles during the pandemic years.

“It was the first time in over 25 years I had stuck to a routine: being able to wake up and go to bed at the same time, every day. Yet it was also stressful but with FaceTime and modern technology, I can still communicate with my team.”

Some Nobu restaurants were closed during that time whilst others coped by doing take-out. According to Chef Philip Leung, Nobu KL was under renovations then but they also did take-out during the later MCO phases.

Now that things have returned to normal, Nobu restaurants are busier than ever with customers returning in droves.

New Nobu restaurants and Nobu Hotels are also opening in Marrakesh, Rome, San Sebastian, Madrid, Toronto, Atlantic City, Atlanta, Da Nang, Bangkok, and Dubai.

According to Nobu-san, he has no plans to set up a culinary academy or pursue anything too adventurous due to time constraints. He's happy to focus on the restaurant business and see his customers enjoying his cooking for now.

7.   His last meal on earth? As a true blue Japanese, sushi is his dish of choice.

For reservations at Nobu Kuala Lumpur, call tel: 03 2380 0028 or email: nobuklreservations@nobureservsations.com
kualalumpur@noburestaurants.com
ADDRESS: L4A-05, Level 4A Shoppes at Four Season Place, 145 Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur

NOBU KUALA LUMPUR'S SWANKY NEW HOME AT FOUR SEASONS PLACE

A more accessible location with expansive views of the verdant KLCC park and water fountain heralds the ‘homecoming’ of Nobu Kuala Lumpur to the Four Seasons Place Kuala Lumpur.

Having called the Menara 3 Petronas home in the last six years, the swanky new Nobu Kuala Lumpur now flaunts an all-new Sake Room, a state-of-the-art kitchen and several light-filled private dining rooms designed to elevate the dining experience.

According to General Manager of Nobu Kuala Lumpur, Gopi Kanala, the restaurant can seat up to 200 guests but following new norm SOP guidelines, it can seat 130-140 guests comfortably. “Situated in the city’s lifestyle hub means our emphasis on the experiential aspects includes being more child-friendly.”

 

Conceived as an experiential haven for both connoisseurs and newbies, the 12-seater Sake Room will set the stage for immersive food and sake matching experiences; counting among its drawcard a sake from Hokusetsu, Japan that's brewed exclusively for the Nobu Group.

“We have three private dining rooms with a total capacity of 60 persons for small and medium scale events,” says Gopi. “Thanks to our accessible location, and new and improved features, Nobu KL will be the ideal venue for both private and corporate events.”

Over at the impressive state-of-the-art kitchen outfitted with Malaysia’s first and most advanced exhaust system, Executive Chef Philip Leong and his team prepare Nobu’s renowned Japanese-Peruvian specialities for guests to enjoy. Complementing their culinary efforts is Head Sushi Chef Chico and his team over at the Sushi Bar who will have their hands full handcrafting sushi to order.

Cocktails and mocktails should be part and parcel of your gastronomic experience at Nobu KL. The inventive and extensive drinks list especially the cocktails are not to be missed; just seek the friendly resident Bar Captain for recommendations to suit your tastebuds.

Our media preview opened with a sampling platter of Oysters with Nobu Sauces, Yellowtail Sashimi with Jalapeno and Sashimi Salad with Matsuhisa Dressing.

Served with yuzu and lemon juice, and a dot of Peruvian chilli paste, the plump Japanese oyster was utterly sublime. A baby green peach then cleansed our palate with its fragrant, juicy sweetness.

Then we savoured yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno, served tiradito-style; a typical Peruvian way of anointing slices of raw fish with drizzled yuzu soy sauce. Sliced jalapeno and fresh coriander added heat and herbaceous finish to round off the fish's succulence.

Conceived as a salad of sorts, the sashimi salad featured tuna tataki wrapped in red leaf lettuce with Matsuhisa dressing (chopped onion, shoyu & black pepper). Rich and flavourful, the whole ensemble primed the palate in eager anticipation for the subsequent courses.

Should you be keen to pair the sashimi courses with a cocktail, try the highly recommended Seasons in the Sun – a “Summer” concoction of Hokusetsu Junmai ‘Sado No Shu’, GH Mumm Grand Cordon, Elderflower Syrup and Calpis.

 

We were reminded of the arrival of spring and sakura season when the dainty servings of Foie Gras with Yuzu Marmalade on Sakura Monaka appeared. Adorned with micro greens, the heavenly morsels of seared goose liver and yuzu marmalade were enticingly presented on airy-light sakura-shape wafer shells.

The high point was the Nobu Style Sushi selection especially it included kohada (gizzard shad) – a delicious, subtly briny and vinegar-marinated silver-skinned fish, kanpachi (yellowtail) with coriander, Japanese baby snapper with wasabi salsa and tender scallop with spiced herb.

As expected, the signature Black Cod Miso left us in rapturous delight with its savoury-sweet symphony and sensuously ethereal texture. Any residual richness was tempered by the accompaniments of pickled ginger stem and candied apricot on the side.

Served medium rare, the on-point Angus Beef Tenderloin Truffle Teriyaki proved Nobu Kuala Lumpur’s readiness in cutting a swathe in the city’s dining scene.

To herald its return, a decadent creation of Nobu Cheesecake with Raspberry Cream on Sesame Crumble, accompanied by a delightfully refreshing scoop of Yuzu Strawberry Sorbet seemed most befitting to wrap up our meal on a sweet note.

For reservations at Nobu Kuala Lumpur, call tel: 03 2380 0028 or WhatsApp: +6 019 389 5085. ADDRESS: L4A-05, Level 4A Shoppes at Four Season Place, 145 Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. 

HIGH NOON LUNCH CHOICES AT NOBU KL

Nobody would expect a simple dish of Cauliflower Steak with Corn Salsa (RM58++) to steal the limelight at lunch. Especially at Nobu Kuala Lumpur atop Petronas Tower 3. It’s one of the unexpected gems we glean from Nobu’s Set Lunch – the subtly smoky ‘steak’ captures Nobu’s trademark philosophy of infusing Japanese and Peruvian influences into the freshest ingredients perfectly.

Depending on what catches your fancy, the Set Lunch list Grilled Chicken with Nobu Sauces (RM60++), Sushi & Sashimi (RM95++), Beef Tenderloin (RM130++), Dry Age Prime Rib Eye (RM130++) and Lobster Wasabi Pepper (RM145++) as the main course.

 

Each choice of main is accompanied by miso soup, salad, tempura, housemade Nobu biscuits and complimentary green tea – a complete meal to leave you happily replete.

Ladies and gentlemen who lunch have more than the abovementioned set lunches to look forward to with Executive Chef Philip Leong’s latest drive to elevate the ‘Noon at Nobu’ experience. The expanded midday dining selection now includes pre-fixe menus, bento boxes, cold & hot dishes in addition to soups, noodles and dessert.

Priced at RM168++, the Pre-Fixe parade inclusive of miso soup and green tea features a choice of appetiser, a main course and dessert. Among the five appetisers, the plain-looking Butter Lettuce Salad Dry Miso stands out for its palate-pleasing umami appeal.

 

Coming in a close second in the popularity stake is Seafood Ceviche, a healthy yet delicious mixture of quinoa, prawns, fish and squid with baby greens, tomato and cucumber. The Umami Chicken Kara-age is underwhelming by comparison. Both the Salmon New Style Sashimi and Yellowtail Jalapeno are distillation of Nobu’s signature dishes so no surprises there. 

Shrimp with Spicy Garlic (its zingy heat makes it a hot favourite), Snapper with Black Bean Sauce (notable), Beef Tenderloin with Wasabi Pepper, Mushroom Toban Yaki and Grilled Chicken with Truffle Teriyaki beckon in the main course options.

All the dessert choices are exceptional. I’m partial to the sublime Japanese Whisky Cappuccino which packs a nice flavour punch that left me hankering for more. Pure white and foamy, the former proves to be a revelation as the heavenly creation constitutes coffee creme brulee with cocoa crumble, vanilla ice cream and Japanese whisky foam.

The Yogurt Sub Zero pairs scoops of tangy yogurt ice cream with fresh berries, raspberry sauce and sesame crisp. A perfect pick-me-upper to cleanse the palate post-lunch.

Playful textures and delicate flavours meld wonderfully in the Chocolate Sata Andagi – dark chocolate filled Japanese doughnut with caramelised pistachios is complemented by pandan ice cream on coconut sablé.

Completing the tempting line-up are Green Tea Fiji Shave Ice – Fiji water and organic soy milk shaved ice soused with green tea syrup, red bean paste, green tea mochi and green tea tuile, and Banana Harumaki – crispy banana spring roll with dulce de leche, white sesame ice cream and passionfruit sauce.

For those who want a little of everything, the substantial Bento Box (RM175++) will tickle the tastebuds with Sashimi Salad with Matsuhisa Dressing, Assorted Sushi, Rock Shrimp Tempura with Butter Ponzu, Nobu’s signature Black Cod Miso and Vegetable Spicy Garlic with Rice. A serving of miso soup is included.

Also available is Donburi, served with miso soup and salad. Of the four options listed, the Wagyu Short Rib Teriyaki Donburi (RM120++) is a heartily satisfying choice worth considering. Poached egg and assorted mushroom add to the dish’s comforting appeal.

 

Nobu Kuala Lumpur is open for lunch Monday to Friday, 12.00pm to 2.00pm.

 

For enquiries or reservations, please call NOBU KL, tel: 03-2164 5084 or WhatsApp: 019-389 5085.