Nobu Tribeca and Kokoro

Last week I was at Nobu for lunch.  Last time I was there was about two years ago.

I am writing with unabashed admiration for the culinary experience I had but I am not as enthusiastic about the decor at Nobu Tribeca.  Nobu is owned by Drew Nieporent, Robert de Niro and Nobu Matsuhisa, the renowned chef.  I know it's a David Rockwell designed restaurant and as the website describes, it "evokes the beauty of the Japanese countryside with its natural textures, birch trees, wood floors and a wall made of river stones".  As I walked to the main dining room,  I remembered the intention behind the design but thought that, at least during the day, it's a little too plain for me.  I have sat both at the dining room to the right of the entrance as well as at the main dining room next to the bar. The main dining room has a bit more ambiance.  Despite the wood that is all over the restaurant, it's not a warm place although it looks warmer at night than during the day. It's too industrial if that description makes any sense at all. The few times I have been there I have not used the restroom although I understand that the restroom is quite unique.

What the decor lacks -at least to my taste - is more than compensated by the amazing food.  We started with a very unusual and delicious martini made with peach and pineapple called the Pineapple Martini, followed by a light white wine.  We had a tuna timbale with caviar (mildly spicy), followed by the tiradito (a Peruvian fish dish from Nobu Matsuhisa's years there, mildly spicy), rock shrimp tempura with ponzu sauce (made with a very light batter), black cod with miso (so fresh!) , and sushi.  Each piece of sushi was sublime - especially the toro.  It felt that the fish had just been picked from the sea.  The service was very good.  It was friendly, efficient and informal without being informal.

The ambiance is casual and, as usual, Nobu was full.  Mostly businessmen.  We were struck by the preponderance of men versus women in the restaurant.

All in all, it was a wonderful experience.  As I walked out of the restaurant, I felt a warmth in the restaurant I hadn't felt before.  What warmed the room considerably was sharing a fantastic lunch with some members of my family.   Those moments are indelibly etched on my mind.  As Nobu Matsuhisa states in his website (www.nobumatsuhisa), he cooks with his heart (kokoro in Japanese) and although he probably doesn't cook at every one of his restaurants, that intention was infused in the food I ate that day.   The special people I was with and the delicious meal definitely touched my heart.