I really knew better. I only had 2 hours sleep the previous night and suffered through a plane from San Sebastian to London so Nobu sounded like the easy lunch choice considering it was on the 2nd floor of my hotel. Matsuhisa in LA 4 years ago was an awesome meal. Nobu in NY 3 years ago was a train-wreck culminating with an expensive serving of over-cooked kobe/wagyu beef. Since then, I’ve always been wary of Mr Matsuhisa’s empire of homogenous fish.I walked down and got a seat at the bar. The fish looked ok, nothing special, but considering the horrors of fish in France the previous month, serviceable.

- Toro – I pointed to the one i *really* wanted but i got stuck w/ this piece of crap. Communication barrier – I could not get the decent looking piece. This piece was more maguro than toro.

- Salmon – Nothing revalationary, but then again, nothing horrible. An average piece of salmon.

- Sweet Shrimp - Decent enough

- Large Shrimp - Overcooked/par-boiled

- Maguro – Watery, not much taste, fairly innocuous

- They ran out of uni on a Wed afternoon lunch. How is that possible?

From the menu, i ordered:

- Foie / Wagyu Gyoza - Very disappointing. It was full of rawer ground wagyu w/ some foie in there – it tasted like mud. How is that even possible?

- Wagyu Tartar - They were out of wagyu (it was now explained the gyoza were pre-made when they had wagyu.)

- Shitake Tempura - Greasy but serviceable

- Squid Pasta w/ Mushrooms & Light Garlic Sauce - Hearty and serviceable but hardly refined in any sense

I knew the outcome before i went and i did it anyway. It was probably a blessing to that such nigiri is fashionable and tasty – my wallet had suffered enough on this trip. I left wondering what these people would do if they ever ate a sublime piece of fish.

Compared to the sushi temples across America, Nobu’s fish is not even 2nd-tier. Compared to the food temples across Europe, Nobu’s cooked dishes are not even 3rd-tier.

Stay away.

- chuck