Nobu Downtown

Nobu’s Best Dishes Defined Japanese Fine Dining in America | Eater LA

"Made famous by chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s eponymous style and his 1994 New York outpost, Nobu is a high-end Japanese restaurant chain where preciously plated, minimalist dishes dominate: ponzu-splashed yellowtail sashimi veiled with jalapeño, crispy cubes of fried sushi rice crowned with chopped spicy tuna, lightly battered rock/popcorn shrimp doused in a creamy spicy mayo, and salty-sweet miso-marinated black cod. Dining rooms are strikingly modern with sightlines designed so you can see who’s there, and the scene—pulsing with lush electronica—caters to celebrities and those who want to emanate effortless wealth and refinement (guests named include Future, Taylor Swift, and Leonardo DiCaprio). Matsuhisa fused Tokyo technique with Peruvian influences like ceviche and tiradito to create a deliberately adaptive “Nobu-style” cuisine—he even developed ideas like pouring hot oil over sashimi (“new style sashimi”) to win over picky diners—and that approach, plus partnerships such as the early alliance with Robert De Niro, helped Nobu grow into a global empire (56 restaurants and eight Matsuhisa outlets across five continents) that codified the modern Japanese-lounge template." - Matthew Kang