Best for: Modern Japanese, Drinks, Dessert
Location: Waikiki Parc Hotel
Foodgasmic dish: Dolce mascarpone, Black cod saikyo miso, Wagyu beef & foie gras gyoza, Salmon skin salad
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| Cocktails are about $14, assorted sushi rolls about $7 each |
The first time I came to Nobu was in January. Mizuki and I sat at the bar, ordered like crazy, and had a wonderful time. Two cocktails each, a few appetizers to share, and lots and lots of sushi. If Morimoto Waikiki can be described as "heaven," Nobu can be described as "hell" ... not [necessarily] because Nobu is a place for sinners, but because the decor is dark and red, unlike Morimoto's bright white walls and large windows.
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| Wagyu Beef and Foie Gras Gyoza ($10): one of my favorites |
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| Crispy Duck Harumaki ($9) |
Nobu's salmon skin salad ($17) is amazing, and very rarely do I remember salad. After stuffing ourselves silly, Mizuki and I ordered dessert, and this is when I had the best dessert ever. I am a dessert freak, so when I say "best," you should really be impressed. As many of you know, I don't eat fruit - unless it is in alcoholic form. Mizuki, who very considerately decided to ignore my fruit-phobia, ordered a dessert for me: Dolce Mascarpone (creme de mascarpone, fresh passion fruit puree, almond and olive oil crumble with honey caviar) paired with Dolce Wine. Foodgasm!! Thanks to her, I learned something: if there's any place that will get me to eat fruit, it will be a fancy Japanese restaurant. Figures. Everything was perfect, and the dolce wine just made it even better. Almost a year later, I still fantasize about this dish.
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| Black cod butter lettuce cups ($8). This was one of my favorite dishes, but maybe that's just because I love all things black cod. |
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| BEST DESSERT EVER ($22): Dolce Mascarpone (creme de mascarpone, fresh passion fruit puree, almond and olive oil crumble with honey caviar) paired with Dolce Wine |
The next time I came to Nobu, I brought a group of people for happy hour. Bad idea. This is not like other happy hour places, at which one can share two or three dishes and a cocktail for bargain prices and feel satisfied. Three happy hour dishes at Nobu won't cut it. The four of us left hungry and feeling ripped-off.
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| Seafood puffs ($9)... nothing special |
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| Spicy tuna with crispy rice ($10). An interesting but okay dish. The tuna wasn't very spicy, and the crispy rice just tasted like tater tots. It was a fun dish to eat though. |
The third time I came to Nobu, Jae and I shared four dishes, two glasses of wine, and a dessert. Although this experience was more enjoyable than the last time, I almost cried when I found out that they no longer serve my Dolce Mascarpone dessert. I had come specifically for that! I rancorously ordered the chocolate cremoso and made sure to order the happy hour size to save a few bucks. Another bad decision, because the happy hour size was insanely tiny and lacked some of the ingredients found in the regular portion.
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| Assorted rolls for $14 |
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| Chocolate "cremoso" ($8) |
The lesson to be learned is: don't come to Nobu on a budget. If you do, you'll be miserable. In other words, if your budget is less than $60 for yourself, don't bother coming here.
...Unless, of course, you're coming just for dessert. Anthony and I were in the middle of dinner at CPK yesterday (twice in one week! That's what happens when town is closed for eight days) when I demanded dessert. Ideally, not at CPK. I hadn't been to Nobu in over two months, so I figured it was about time to return. It happened to be the week of APEC, so I called Nobu first to make sure the Waikiki Parc Hotel was even open to the public. Fortunately, it was. And even better - valet was still available as well (this is the real reason why I only dine at fancy restaurants in Waikiki).
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| Bento Box, $13 |
I ordered the Dolce wine because I remembered that it had been paired with my Favorite Dessert Ever (the dolce mascarpone) back in January. The wine still tasted like honey goodness, but it definitely paired better with the mascarpone. Oh well. Some things in life will just have to remain perfect memories.
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| Dolce wine, $18 |
A few days ago, Michael and I tried Nobu's new lunch menu, which is available until mid-January. This was my first time sitting in the actual restaurant; for some reason, I had always opted to dine in the lounge before this day. As I had been warned, the restaurant is somewhat underwhelming, especially after being accustomed to the hanging white coral and sleek glass tables at Morimoto.
I ordered the lunch bento box, which came with assorted sashimi (salmon, tuna, and hamachi), black cod saikyo miso, rock shrimp tempura, and miso soup and rice. Oh my goodness, no wonder black cod miso is Nobu's signature dish. I've had some pretty good black cod, but none have been as tasty or melt-in-your-mouth as this one. Eating Nobu's black cod is an experience almost as life-altering as eating his Dolce mascarpone. Almost. I still haven't fully recovered from the loss of that dessert.
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lunch bento box ($30)
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Michael ordered the squid pasta, which led our waiter to immediately warn him was that it was not a real pasta. Fine with Michael; we're at a Japanese restaurant, not Italian. I'm guessing the dish is called "squid pasta" because the squid looks like little pasta maruzelle, scooped over some rice. Michael was satisfied.
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squid pasta ($24)
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So, the real question: has Nobu's lunch menu defeated Morimoto's? My lunch bento box did taste better than the lunch box I usually order at Morimoto's (although, presentation was somewhat lacking), and the service was better. However, the decor at Morimoto's can't be beat, and I should [and will gladly] return to Nobu for lunch at least once more and try something else besides the black cod before I make such an inevitably contentious claim.
