The meal gave a whirlwind tour of Japanese, Peruvian, and Californian flavors, and was a feast for the eyes as much as my stomach.
White chocolate panna cotta topped with orange tapioca pearls, strawberries, citrus fruits, and shiso syrup was so refreshing and light, it acted as a palette cleanser.
The dessert costs $16.
I was prepared to refuse dessert, but Boykin insisted we try the white chocolate namelaka. "We want you to feel lighter than when you walked in," he said.
To be honest, I had no idea what I was eating. I lost track during the server's monologue. But each piece of melt-in-your-mouth sashimi tasted fresher than the last.
Sashimi ranges in price between $7 and $18 per piece. Check out the menu here.
The presentation was simple and clean. When the server set the plates down in front of us, he rattled off the exotic ingredients used in each piece. The sashimi glistened before us.
Young chefs of every ethnicity hustled in the kitchen. A diverse staff is a reflection of Chef Matsuhisa's style, which blends Japanese and Peruvian influences, according to Boykin.
I took a break and stepped in to the kitchen. I was unsurprised to find chefs wearing Apple Watches — a pretty clear indication that the restaurant is based in Silicon Valley.
We went in for a second round of drinks and tried the signature lychee and elderflower martini. The $16 cocktail contains Spring 44 Vodka, St. Germain, and lychee (a sweet summer fruit). The sugary concoction added a dose of indulgence to the meal.
Succulent pieces of white flakey fish fell off the bone in chunks. It was heavenly.
The cost of the whole fish is based on market prices.
The chefs flexed their culinary skills with this whole-fish showstopper. A sea bass prepared tempura-style and served with dry miso and a tomato-based soy sauce was a visual delight.
A spinach salad topped with dehydrated tofu skins and a Japanese olive oil cost $24 that I would have preferred to spend on something a little more elaborate.
A personal favorite was the tai agave sashimi, which features thinly sliced Japanese red snapper sashimi with an aji amarillo (a Peruvian chili pepper) and agave dressing.
It costs $36.
The bluefin and yellowfin toro tartare with caviar is made with the flavorful bits of tuna that don't make the cut for as sashimi or sushi. It's frozen and mixed with garlic and onion.
The $38 dish gets a kick from the dashi wasabi pepper dipping sauce and melts in your mouth.
The dish landed Nobu in hot water about 10 years ago when the bluefin tuna was named an endangered species. Chefs like Gordon Ramsey swiftly removed the fatty pink fish from their menus, but Nobu refused. Instead, it added a note to its menu asking diners to consider an alternative. The World Wildlife Fund still lists the bluefin tuna as an endangered species.
The yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño is one of the best known dishes created by Chef Matsuhisa. "It is a simple dish, but full of flavor; the heat of the jalapeño enlivens the milder yellowtail," the chef told food blog First We Feast. I would have eaten it by the fistful.
Source: First We Feast
The restaurant prepared a trio of samples for us, but a standard plate of the yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño costs $29.
A power-lunch might include some Nobu sushi classics. The restaurant receives shipments of fish imported from Japan "all day long," according to Boykin.
A popular breakfast item is the jidori chicken and waffles served with wasabi-infused maple syrup. The chicken comes from a Japanese poultry breed that our server described as the "Wagyu of chicken," because of its superior quality and lofty price.
The combination of sweet and spicy flavors played well, but the dish was otherwise an unsurprising take on a Southern staple. The jidori chicken and waffles costs $24.
Nobu Palo Alto, like other Nobu restaurants located in hotels, serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It does this to better accommodate guests, as well as executives who power-lunch.
The culinary team has adapted Japanese flavors for three distinct menus.
A recent challenge asked bartenders to incorporate monk fruit, a melon that is about 300 times sweeter than sugar. The winning Nariyuki cocktail, out of Malibu, is made with Atlantico Platino Rum, Disaronno amaretto, egg white, pineapple, monk fruit, and yuzu.
It costs $18. The drink burst with tropical flavors. We bet it would taste even better poolside.
Nobu offers a premium selection of sakes, but the restaurant is also known for its original cocktails. Every month, Nobu bartenders participate in a challenge that's like "Top Chef."
In the Grand Cordon competition, the bartenders are given an ingredient that they must incorporate into a cocktail. The best drink is featured at Nobus around the world.
There are no white linens on the table.
"We don't like to be too stuffy," Boykin said. He added that the plain teak tables and patio space help create a family-style atmosphere, where businesspeople can "let their hair down."
Most people will want to pop into the hotel's ground floor, where the restaurant is. Collapsible walls allow guests to people-watch on the streets of downtown Palo Alto.
Another popular dining option is to reserve a meeting room in the hotel. Ross Boykin, the restaurant's general manager, said most tech executives prefer the private setting.
Boykin wouldn't name names, but he said the restaurant has been visited by tech executives and "pioneers" from nearby companies, including Facebook, Google, Apple, and Instagram.
Nobu Palo Alto — restaurant No. 32 in chef Matsuhisa's empire — aims to deliver the same hugely popular dishes and clubby scene as other Nobu locations worldwide.
Nobu Palo Alto is located in the Larry Ellison-owned Epiphany Hotel, which is currently being rebranded as a Nobu Hotel. It's not the first time the tech icon and chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa have partnered. The pair co-owns Nobu restaurants in Malibu and Hawaii.
Source: The Mercury News