Restaurant Name: Nobu
Cuisine: Japanese, sushi
Location: Downtown San Diego
Company: Quinn (Little Asian Friend), Skinny Kevin, Lisa
Overall Experience: could have been better




It is Restaurant Week in San Diego and being the food lover I am, of course I have to take full advantage of this deal! So my friends and I decided to visit Nobu.

The deal was a $40 Prix Fixe meal that consisted of an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert. Given three options and four people, we were allowed to double on each meal and able to get a taste of everything on the menu.

~~ Appetizers ~~

Sashimi Salad, organic greens served with king salmon sashimi and cilantro dressing

Fresh Oysters, served with nobu sauces

Rock Shrimp Tempura, tossed in creamy spicy sauce with shiitake mushrooms on top of a bed of mixed greens

~~ Entrees ~~

Chilean Sea Bass with Jalapeño Miso, broiled chilean sea bass filet marinated in sweet jalapeño sauce, served with pickled jalapeño and steamed rice

Assorted Sushi, six pieces of chef's choice nigiri and one salmon avocado roll (6pcs)

Grilled Ribeye Anticucho, grilled ribeye of beef topped with peruvian chili sauce, served with baby vegetables and steamed rice

~~ Dessert ~~

Mochi Ice Cream, strawberry dark chocolate, and pistachio

Passion Fruit & Banana Mousse, layers of passion fruit curd, almond cake, banana mousse and white chocolate glaze

Chocolate Green Tea Parfait, green tea ice crea, chocolate crumbles, and white chocolate foam



Experience and Reflection: After my visit to Nobu, I realize that I have much more respect for very small, intimate sushi restaurants. Being able to personalize and get the inside scoop from your "personal" chef at a sushi bar is part of the experience of consuming top-grade raw fish. Although at most times a language barrier stubbornly stands in the way, in the language of sushi and sashimi, there is definitely a mutual understanding.

Nobu had the feeling of a restuarant, the ones that focuses on making profit rather than leaving its customers with an unforgettable experience. The ambiance was like that of Cheesecake Factory of BJ's Brewhouse, where the waiters and waitresses are scrambling around appeasing customers. It felt very commercial and distant from the intimate sushi mentioned previously.

The quality of the food I felt was not par with the price I paid. For appetizers, the oysters were admittedly delicious, but the true taste and essence of the oyster was masked with Nobu's overuse of its sauces. The salad was mediocre, and although the shrimp tempura was delicious, it did not offer any new sensations for my tastebuds. For entrees, I got the sushi platter which composed of various sushi. The quality of the fish was better than your everyday Korean-owned sushi restaurant, but nothing worth paying much for. The ribeye was tough although seasoned nicely. The bass was very heartbreaking. Being such a naturally buttery fish, the bass was tough and almost dry. The desserts were nothing extraordinary. To conclude, I think that I will stick to my neighborhood intimate sushi restaurant.