Enjoy The Ride: Sinning In LA Experiences Sushi Nirvana At Nobu
When Chase and I last left Nobu, we had been taken on a true tapas journey. While the many samplings were exquisite, nothing could have prepared us for the love and care the staff at Nobu put into the dinner experience for their customers. While good sushi is commonplace in a city as large as LA, Nobu encourages their patrons to take part in a multitude of taste sensations. So, joined by our trusty photographer, Smash LeFunk, we embarked on our next Nobu voyage, ready to soak in their latest creations.
Our Captain for the evening was named Casper and after serving us up some chilled “Devil Killer” sake shots out of a bamboo shoot, we were ready for our first course. Before proceeding, we must encourage you to listen to your servers suggestions, as each member of the team comes trained with an intricate knowledge of both the restaurant and its new offerings.
“Everyday we’re doing new tastings,” Casper explained. “You really have to buy into the product and believe in it and we really do.”
Casper came out with a variety of samplings to start things off and after just one bite, we were certainly glad we gave him carte blanche. These sensational servings included yellowtail tartar served with a dollop of caviar on top, alongside some sweet oysters with special Nobu sauces that came fresh from Seattle.
This followed by a killer kanpachi that was served with baby artichokes and truffle oil with chives. After soaking in this sensational fare, we sampled the yellowtail sashimi, which came complete with jalapeno, a citrus soy sauce and garlic puree.
We call it a roller coaster ride as you never get the same textures here!
Casper further explained, "First, you’ll get something spicy, then you get something oily and afterwards some citrus flavor. Then we shift gears and bring out some different textures that are a lot richer.”
And sure enough the next round was completely different. We indulged in wagyu beef and tuna tacos, mini-bites that were packed full flavor and quickly become the hit of the evening.
“They’re small, but they have so much flavor,” Grace, the wonderful waitress from our first Nobu experience exclaimed. “I could easily eat 20 of these!”
We were right there with her, savoring every last morsel of these tasty treats. The Wagyu beef tacos are now so popular that they’ve become one of the LA establishment’s signatures dishes. “It’s the one everyone gets now when they come in,” Casper told us as we polished off the last one.
The journey continued with the hot portion of the Nobu dinner experience ahead. We basked in a beautifully prepared black cod served with miso and a tuna sea bass served in an avocado butter sauce. For you meat lovers out there, you won’t be disappointed with the ribeye steak served with crispy onions. We’ve had some tasty cuts in our day and this rivals the best of them. All of these delicious dishes were full meals in themselves but we were urged to hang in for the sushi portion, which caps the journey. Casper then brought out two rolls, a spicy tuna and a salmon miso, which were both the perfect ending to an amazing ride.
However, Casper and the Nobu team had one more surprise up their sleeves - dessert. A superb sampler made its way to the table and with one look at these colorful creations, I knew I simply had to take a taste. We started off with the fabulous froyo (frozen yogurt), which is served with black sesame garapinado alongside fresh strawberries and mint, all topped off with blueberry coulis.
My personal favorite was the banana carmel soy tobanyaki, which boasts carmel soy bananas, roasted pecans and malaga ice cream on the side. For the chocolate lovers, don’t pass up on the milk chocolate yuzu cake. It oozes delicious warm chocolate from the inside of a praline-crunch and hazelnut ice cream.
So for those of you that think dessert at a sushi establishment consists of only mochi ice cream or an orange, Nobu has a plethora of picks that can more than satisfy the biggest sweet tooth.
Nobu proved, once again, that they offer up an experience which you are unlikely to find anywhere else in the city. We have a lot of great sushi spots here but none that are as innovative as Nobu nor any that boast a staff that’s as knowledgeable as they are friendly.
No matter what you’re craving: sushi, tapas, dessert, steak - you can find it here. This dining experience truly is a roller-coaster ride and one we plan on taking again very soon.
Photos By: Smash LeFunk
