NOBU KUALA LUMPUR,
Level 56, Menara 3 Petronas,
KLCC, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2164 5084
Business hours: Noon to 2pm (Monday to Friday),
6pm to 10.30pm (Monday to Saturday).
COME Sunday, most restaurants will celebrate mothers as they unveil specially-thought-of menus for Mothers Day.
Treating mum to a quintessential meal with a 360-degree view of the city and the majestic Petronas Twin Towers in plain sight, can only leave her with lasting memories of the day.
The place I have in mind is none other than Nobu Kuala Lumpur.
The restaurant’s executive chef Philip Leong and executive sushi chef Tatsuo Takebayashi, better known as Take San, understand that mothers hold a special place in the hearts of diners and decided on the Omakase experience for the occasion.
The meal, which is prepared from the heart, starts off with the Sushi Bar Starter Trio featuring a selection of cold dishes that are easy to get hooked on.
Just right: Nobu Assorted Sushi with toro, kampachi, hirame and local shrimp.
The platter consisted of White Fish Tiradito (hirame with Peruvian spicy sauce, red sea salt and yuzu juice); Yellowtail Tartar with Caviar (yellowtail, onions, Oscietra caviar, wasabi and soy) and Seared Tuna Tataki (tuna, garlic, ginger, scallion and ponzu sauce) which are pleasing to eat.
Take San’s knack for making sushi with the right amount of rice and protein saw our party appreciating the selection of toro, kampachi, hirame and local shrimp served.
Nobu KL private events/public relations manager Parivash Jafary said Take San did not want diners to have too much rice in the sushi, being mindful that some mothers preferred less carbohydrate in their diet.
“The menu was designed in such a manner as the sushi comes out as the second course and we do not want mums to get full too soon.
Sweet ending: Nobu-style dessert arrives in the form of Green Tea Shaved Iced with caramelised azuki beans, green tea syrup and shiso jelly.
“We want them to be able to savour all the dishes we have for them on Mothers Day,” she said.
As simple as they may sound, salads are a speciality here and the attention given to making a bowl of green leaves stand out, deserves rightful praise.
The Butter Lettuce Dry Miso Salad is a dish I will return for.
Not the usual salad: The light and refreshing taste of the Butter Lettuce Dry Miso Salad makes it an excellent appetiser.
With crunchy fried yuba skin (tofu skin), Parmesan shavings, truffle oil, yuzu vinaigrette and dry red miso for ingredients, the crispy butterhead lettuce was instantly transformed into a much talked about dish.
The clever use of truffle oil and yuzu enhanced the taste of the lettuce and tofu with tiny miso dots for added flavour.
When you notice a dish like Salmon with Lavender Infused Amazu Ponzu (top pic) on the menu, one expects to see a salmon steak dressed up fancifully in typical Nobu style.
However, what was served was totally different.
The three elegant cubed salmon treats, each with a little translucent orange orb, nori dust and edible flowers, were too pretty to eat.
Juicy: The Wagyu Truffle Teriyaki is a dish of premium wagyu with truffle teriyaki sauce, truffle oil, Padron peppers, baby corn and carrots.
But with the scent of the lavender-based sweet vinegar sauce wafting in the air, it did not take long for me to pick up my chopstick and try the salmon coated in potato flour and flash-fried.
Parivash advised us to pop the entire cube into the mouth and allow the orb trapping the sweet sauce to break and tantalise the taste buds.
And it did just that. What a marvellous combination of flavours!
The Wagyu Truffle Teriyaki, that was served next, had the juicy goodness of premium Wagyu lathered with truffle teriyaki sauce, truffle oil and truffle shavings accompanied with Padron peppers, baby corn and carrots.
The meat with a delicate pink centre offered a slightly charred taste, having come off the grill.
The Padron peppers from Spain were not spicy and were also served as an appetiser.
As a treat before dessert, we had the Chilled Soya Soup with Inaniwa Pasta which was toned down in flavour compared to the previous dishes.
The wheat noodle in this dish comes from northern Japan, from Inaniwa in the Akita prefecture, Nobu KL general manager Ai Sunaga explained.
Served with julienne cucumber, diced onions and capsicum, the dish is relished with tofu broth made with dashi, white miso, soy, onion and sesame.
Nobu KL’s version of an ice kacang dish arrived in the form of Green Tea Shaved Ice.
Caramelised azuki beans, green tea syrup and shiso jelly were the ingredients for our dessert, and this was warmly welcomed.
The seven-course Omakase menu is priced at RM500 nett per person.
This is the writer’s personal observation and not an endorsement by StarMetro.
