Nobu Melbourne is the latest restaurant to open within the Crown Casino Complex. Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, known as Nobu, is the Japanese chef behind it along with co-owner Robert De Niro.
The restaurant opened with a traditional sake ceremony featuring billionaire James Packer, co-owner of Crown Casino. The opening date also coincided with De Niro’s 64th birthday.
I decided to take my mum as the rest of my family was abroad so I thought this would make a lovely gift. We were not going to be disappointed.
The interior decor is seductively dark with flickering tea lights on the tables. This is just the upstairs bar. Once our table was ready we were shown downstairs and given a wonderful Asian greeting and shown to our table.
Tamsin, our incredibly knowledgeable and charming waitress, gave us the menu and explained the different ways we could order our food.
The selection and options were too many, so we decided on the Omakase menu. This is where the chef chooses his best eight dishes that are served in small portions. You don’t know what you get, but you know it will be the best.
While we waited for our feast to start, we were given a plate of Edamame, which are fresh green soybeans boiled in their pods and lightly salted with rock salt from the Murray River. It is a very simple but incredibly delicious dish. I tried not to eat too much because I knew I had to pack eight plates later.
Each dish was explained to us as it was brought out, which I thought was wonderful.
The first course was a selection of three small seafood dishes. The taste was amazing. It tasted so delicious and fresh. The oils mixed with the lemon juice and the sweet and sour from the fish were delicious.
This was followed by two other fish dishes which were very fresh. One of them is Yellowtail Sashimi with JalapeƱo. They didn’t really wow me, but they were lovely simple dishes. The best was coming.
Tamsin, our waitress, kept telling me to wait until we tried the black cod with miso, which was apparently Nobu’s signature dish. It was next. She arrived with an elegant presentation.
The fish was wrapped in a bamboo leaf with little drops of Miso sauce on the side and a stalk of pickled ginger. I have never tasted a fish like this. It was succulent and sweet and the Miso sauce complemented it perfectly. It was absolutely divine.
Another amazing dish was on the way…
The beef tenderloin arrived steaming hot on a plate fresh from the wood oven. I was worried it was going to set off the smoke alarms. it was cooked medium rare. But by stirring it through the sizzling juices on the plate, the meat was cooked to perfection. The flavor is to die for. Absolutely delicious.
Traditional sushi made its way to our table. There was a selection that included shrimp and scallops, my favourite. He arrived with a sweet surprise.
A small oblong shaped tortilla. It was like a sweet cake. Everything worked perfectly together. She wasn’t happy that between the layer of fish and rice there was a hint of wasabi. I had to scrape it off.
They put a small black casing in the shape of an octagon with a lid. Opening the lid we find a hot bowl of miso soup. We drank it straight from the bowl. I felt like I was in Asia. It was a wonderful touch.
Tamsin told us that people start with the soup, which is incorrect. The soup should be left for last and I agree. All meals came out in perfect order.
Finally my favorite dish…dessert! I have a very sweet tooth and it did not disappoint.
I felt like a kid at Christmas. The dessert box reminded me of a jewelry box my mother has. It was a shiny mahogany style box. When I opened it I found a delicious chocolate dessert. It was the Green Tea Ice Cream Chocolate Bento Box.
The chocolate dessert was warm and crisp on the outside. However, one tablespoon allowed the chocolate sauce to run off. It was like a chocolate sauce pudding. I also love green tea, so the chocolate ice cream was a decadent delight.
To finish, a hot cup of green tea was in order.
The food we had was truly exceptional. Let the chef select the best that he has made.
The food was excellent. It was unbelievably fresh, the flavors were explosive, and the service was impeccable.
The Omakase menu price is $110, but it was money well spent.