Nobu @Burswood, Perth

Quite some time ago now, Mr Alphie and I went to Nobu for my birthday dinner. Surprisingly, we were able to get a table on a Saturday night (in December!), even though Mr Alphie only booked two days before.

It was a stinking hot Perth day, so the light 'summery-ness' of Japanese (Japanese-South American fusion, to be precise) was the perfect choice for dinner. Nobu Perth is located within the Burswood casino complex, alongside Neil Perry's Rockpool Bar & Grill, Modo Mio and (A)lure. Burswood was bustling, with people everywhere, and every function room filled with a corporate Christmas parties (plus a few in marquees on the lawns), however, once inside the restaurant, you can easily believe you are in a stand alone restaurant - the bustling casino a mere memory.

We were escorted to our seats amid a chorus of 'irrashaimase' ('welcome' in Japanese) and presented with the menu, which, while quite long, was well explained by our waitress. Despite the helpful explanations, we opted for the 'Omakase Menu', because we simply couldn't decide! Our dining preferences were discussed; chilli - yes! raw fish - yes! and once we said yes to everything (except avocado - blurgh!), the banquet commenced.

Salmon Tartar with caviar

Yellowtail Sashimi with Jalapeno

Sashimi Salad with Matsuhisa Dressing

 

 Black Cod Miso

 Beef Toban-Yaki

A selection of sashimi - tuna, yellowtail, ???, and some sort of egg thing ('smelt egg'?)

Miso

 As for drinks, we opted to choose from the cocktail menu, as my food-wine matching skills are not up to the task of matching a banquet of Japanese-South American fusion to a single bottle of wine. As a lover of all things gin, I started with the Emporio Martini (Juynmai sake, gin, lychee juice, fresh lime & cranberry juice), and followed with a Lychee Martini (vodka, elderflower liqueur & lychee). Mr Alphie, started with the Japanese Mule (Nobu rocks, fresh lime, fresh lemongrass & cloves, ginger beer), followed by a something that I can't remember...

Emporio Martini                   Japanese Mule

The only disappointment of the night was the dessert - Bento Box with Green Tea ice cream and Goma tuille - the dessert itself was faultless. The chocolate fondant was perfectly cooked and still gooey in the centre, the green tea ice cream was delicious atop a sesame seed ('goma'?) tuille.

 

Bento Box with Green Tea ice cream

But, it just lacked that 'wow!' factor that all of the previous courses has delivered. I would have loved to try the Ichigo pannacotta with Yuzu granita and lychee or the Miso cappuccino with vanilla ice cream and cappuccino foam, both of which sound more exciting than chocolate fondant and green tea ice cream, which kind of felt like a cop-out. But, then again, I can always try the other desserts next time!

-Alphie