Lucy Y.
Yelp
Having dinner at sunset at a Nobu right on the beach has to be one of the most heavenly experiences. I have been to Nobu Malibu (California) previously, & after dinner here tonight I would say that the service & food quality here is even better than in Malibu.
We had reservations for 6:30pm, & were shown to a table closest to the beach as possible. We all were given black napkins, except my friend in light green pants, who was given a white napkin. Because - no black lint on light clothing!
It was windy out, so they made sure we had blazing heat lamps. Folded black pashminas were brought over, dramatically shaken open & then elegantly wrapped around us, as if we each were royalty.
Our server was so gracious & warm. She brought over a huge drink menu & gave us time to peruse. There was absolutely no rush at all here, from beginning to end - in a luxurious we-are-on-vacation kindof vibe, not at all in a slow service kindof way.
Once we placed our drink order, the food menus came out. I LOVED these:
Crispy Rice w/Avocado - the avocado tower was so creamy, with yuzu & a dab of sweet miso sauce, & spoons to serve yourself over the crispy-chewy cubes of rice. It didnt even need the provided soy for dipping.
Black Cod w/Miso - always to die for, with that sticky glazed skin & buttery flakes of marinated fish
Salmon Tacos - buttery poke-ish salmon cubes in a bite-sized crispy chip taco shell
My biggest surprise star:
Sweet Potato Cut Roll - crispy crumbs on the rice part of the rice outside roll, a salty-ish sauce, & the plain sweet potato created a delish sweet-salty bite, & a soft w/crispies texture
Kumamoto oysters - 3 tiny, extra fresh & briny mignonette-enhanced oysters. I could eat like 50 of these little guys.
Reliable choice:
House Special Cut Roll - several fresh fishes & avocado rolled w/seaweed & a minimal anount of rice
Crispy Rice w/Tuna - those same crispy-chewy rice cubes as w/the avocado, with a seasoned minced tuna tower & soy for dipping
Just okay:
Tamago nigiri - could be so much fluffier & tastier
Tuna tacos - seasoned with a more eclectic & non-Japanese flavor that wasn't for me
Steamed rice - crazy but this was the worst! Dry, not sticky, & tasted of chemicals or unfiltered tap water. Definitely not the rice used in the crispy rice w/avocado or tuna.
Dessert:
Bento box - a richly dark chocolate molten lava cake that's more lava than cake, with a scoop of rich matcha ice cream. Not too sweet, & delicious.
Kakigori - a beautiful presentation of shiso & Malibu syrups drizzled over shave ice, with crispy rice, coconut curis, a center of vanilla ice cream, & a few slightly disappointingly not chewy gingery mochi bits. The shiso sauce was the best part of this.
We returned again for dinner, & hacked Nobu: we ordered a side of a whole avocado, 2 orders of Black Cod w/Miso, & 4 bowls of seasoned sushi rice, and made our own perfect bowls! We also tried & really liked:
Cauliflower w/jalapeño
Paris Brest w/cinnamon ice cream
Almond sponge w/yogurt custard & strawberry
Barley Tea ice cream
The Masushi & Nobu Margaritas were excellent too.
Our share plates were changed out after every shared dish during both visits, & small drips of sauce on our table wiped clean throughout our meal. This even further proving that excellence in service is alive & thriving here.
If you are staying at the Nobu Hotel then obviously come here. If you are close by, this is worth making a special trip for (only open for dinner). If you're looking to propose, you could do worlds worse than here!