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Nobu Manila's new head sushi chef is including Filipino flavors in his new dishes, and wow are they delicious!
It’s only normal to associate Japanese-Peruvian food with Nobu Restaurant ever since it started cooking up a storm 23 years ago. This particular fusion cuisine has become the signature of Chef Nobu Matsuhisa and his culinary empire has grown into 41 restaurants that spans across five continents.
Nobu Manila offers practically the same menu items as in other locations around the world, but it recently introduced more diverse and innovative dishes with the arrival of Head Sushi Chef Keiichi Hirukawa.
His career in Nobu began in Malibu around two years ago, and he has over 20 years experience as sushi chef in various Japanese establishments around the U.S.
He has been in the local outpost for a couple of months now and counting, and he already began to incorporate more Filipino ingredients and cooking methods into the brand’s signature style.
According to Chef Keiichi, he wasn’t particularly familiar with Filipino cuisine. “Just lumpia and the basic stuff —more of the Chinese influences. But then, I’m learning it’s totally different! [It’s more] tropical — like coconuts and mangoes. Things I never thought about incorporating with fish but then it works out! I like it a lot,” he told GMA News Online.
He personally visits local markets to acquaint himself with the local offerings.. as his "vision is to create Nobu dishes that you can only eat in Manila.”
He’s started with the sauces, “looking into the vegetables I’ve never heard of before... I came up with this kind of [coconut cream] sauce so that when you eat it, it’s familiar. But then maybe change it a little bit. Somewhere at the back of your head, it’s familiar but something different. I do try to—not necessarily sweeten it—but give you something similar that you had growing up.”
With familiar Filipino flavors thrown in the mix and a progressive chef at the helm, we'd dare say now is the time to eat in Nobu. Until the end of August, gastronomes can savor the chef’s take on the signature fusion cuisine that Nobu is known for, but with Filipino touches this time around.
Be intrigued by how the following dishes would taste. — LA, GMA News
1/F, North Tower, Nobu Hotel, City of Dreams Manila, Aseana Boulevard cor. Macapagal Avenue, Entertainment City, Parañaque City. Dinner Service: Mondays to Thursdays from 6pm to 10pm, Fridays to Sundays from 6pm - 11pm. Breakfast service: 6am - 10am. Brunch service every Sunday from 11:30am - 3pm. +632 8008080
