Victoria W.
Yelp
Talk about a grand entrance. Nobu Newport Beach is one of the most beautiful sushi restaurants in the OC. As soon as you enter, you are faced with a grand, spiral staircase that takes you up to the main level of the restaurant. You are then greeted in unison by the kitchen staff. Definitely makes you feel special. It is an open kitchen concept, where you can see the entire preparation process. No secrets.
We sat outside on the patio where we had a gorgeous, scenic view of the port. The details of the table setting was phenomenal. Even the chopsticks are engraved with the name "Nobu."
Everything we ate was on point. From the raw/cold dishes, to the hot appetizers and mains, we were pleased by just about every dish.
New Style Sashimi with White Fish: the sashimi was seared by hot chili oil, topped with fried scallions and a cherry tomato. Very delicate starter, one of my favorites.
Takumi Burger: served with 3 pieces of sweet potato fries?! Literally 3 fries. I understand this is a high end restaurant, but come on...that's just ridiculous. Despite the little amount, they were delicious. Perfectly crisp on the outside, coated with a thin tempura like batter. The sliders were super juicy - mini smash burger patties with premium beef, caramelized onions, grilled mushrooms, sandwiched with 2 fluffy, pancake-textured butter buns.
Rock Shrimp Tempura: a play on the traditional Chinese honey walnut prawns, except coated in a spicy sriracha mayo. Prawns were fried perfectly. Packed with flavor.
Tuna and Lobster Tacos: these mini tacos are super cute. They're about the size of Jack n the Box's tiny tacos, but obviously much more intricate and delicately made. Each taco was packed with tuna or lobster. One of my favorite appetizers of the day.
Squid Pasta with Light Garlic Sauce: not really a pasta dish, but rather a stir fried squid dish. It was surprisingly very good. Although a little salty by itself, the dish contained a vegetable medley (carrots, broccoli, shiitake mushrooms, cauliflower) to soak up the sauce. Would've been good with rice :)
Jidori Chicken: my least favorite dish. Chicken breast was tender and nicely pan fried but absolutely lacked flavor. The dish is accompanied by a spicy sauce and a teriyaki sauce on the side, but the chicken has absolutely no taste without the sauce.
Ribeye with Truffle Butter: topped with crispy onions, the ribeye was perfectly seared medium rare. The truffle flavor comes through subtlety, which is great. Not too overpowering. Juicy and buttery in flavor.
Miso cod: by far the best dish of the day. We were completely stuffed when this fish came out but as soon as I took a first bite, I couldn't stop. It was melt-in-your-mouth, buttery, and flakey. Also notable for its size. It was a big piece of cod, unlike most places they serve this.
The food and ambiance was absolutely wonderful. Our waiter was very casual, made the experience less snooty which I appreciate. Definitely recommend this location if you're in the area and craving good Japanese fine dining.