I just died and went to heaven, literally the very full ghost of myself is writing this post as I lay motionless in my bed watching Richard Pryor on TV. Yes, I just spent three wonderful hours at my favorite Japanese restaurant in London, none other than the Berkeley St. Nobu. I often discuss my love for Mario Batali and his mysterious Italian ways and I feel ashamed that I have not as yet even mentioned Nobu Matsuhisa, let alone paid tribute to him.
At 10pm I entered the Mayfair based restaurant, filled with men in business suits admiring glamours ladies in six-inch heel chattering around the cave-like bar. After a few glasses of soda water (that's right, non-alcoholic soda water) we were lead up a short, spiral staircase into the bustling restaurant and sat at quite possibly the best table in the house. As my eyes ran up and down the four page menu I quickly settled on the three most mouth watering options: Yellowtail Tuna Tartar with Caviar, Lobster Salad with Spicy Lemon Dressing and Soft Shell Crab Rolls (it was one of those expensive taste kind of days).
First of all let me say that Mr. Nobu is a culinary genius. Not that I have ever had tartar with Caviar before, but this was probably one of the best dishes my lips had ever laid themselves on. Sitting in a small bowl on a bed of ice, the tartar rested in a soya sauce topped with a dab of wasabi and lovely black Caviar. The dish to follow was anything but a disappointment. It was served on a plate with fresh, red lobster on the bottom and crisp greens tossed in a spicy lemon and sesame seed dressing towering above. Let me mention, before I continue, that due to stress from the recent move and other factors, my appetite went from that of two grown men to that of a tiny bird. Somehow my appetite leapt to that of an entire army once the third plate came, as I finished off the six soft, yet crunchy soft shell crab rolls.
My camera is broken so here is an image of the Soft Shell Crab Rolls from nycgo.com
As if that wasn't enough I couldn't resist the idea of desert. The menu was filled with unusual, sweet dishes composed of exotic ingredients. After plenty of mental debating I settled on Dragon Eyes, described as a chocolate and berry ganache served with Crema Catalana ice cream. To my surprise the ganache was fried in two thick, battery balls which oozed creamy filling when cut with a spoon. As I scooped ganache and ice cream little by little onto my spoon I began feeling as though the meal, paired with a few days of relaxation, was all I needed to settle my mind.
So here I am unable to move and ridiculously content, excited to begin cooking again after a long hiatus (besides a quick Chicken Parmesan), due to a few previously hectic and anxiety driven weeks. I am back on track and can thank Mr. Nobu Matsuhisa and my dad for that.
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