Takeout from Nobu, San Diego & NYC

Update Review, November 2023

Location: Nobu Downtown, NYC

This is a tale of extremely varied experience, with takeout from Nobu, this time from their location downtown in NYC.  I didn't actually visit in person, but got delivery to my hotel, when I was there on a business trip, didn't have time to actually go out, but wanted something delicious.  I did, indeed get something delicious, but it wasn't the dish I expected it to be!

Classy Takeout.

If you've been to a Nobu location before, you know that Nobu is all about the vibe (in addition to the great food of course).  Even their takeout exudes class and $$$.  My takeout came packaged in their black and gold branded bag, with rope handles.  It was sealed with their logo'ed stickers to prevent tampering, which was good, but also annoying to break into - I wanted my sushi, stat!

SHUKO (snacks): Baby Corn Honey Truffle. $20.

"Baby Corn with Truffle Honey & Schichimi."

First up, the baby corn.  Yup, the baby corn.

Who goes to, or orders from, Nobu, and gets a random hot veggie appetizer? (Technically, dubbed a "snack" or "shuko" on the menu).  Well, I do, because I had read so many ridiculously positive reviews of this dish.  Literally no one says it isn't amazing.  Plus, um, I was on a budget, and this is literally one of the cheapest dishes on the menu (even the Baby Spinach Salad with Dry Miso salad, no seafood topping, is $23!).

I still approached it with a touch of skepticism, because, really how good could baby corn be?  Well, it turns out, when Nobu makes it, extremely good.  This dish was unique and very delicious.

Baby corn was the main component, but the dish also featured kernels of large Peruvian corn, choclo.  Both types of corn were nicely cooked, not too soft.  They had similar but different flavors, with the baby corn a bit naturally sweeter and the choclo starchier, and similar but different textural components, which really made for a successful pairing.  Corn two ways?  Check.  Is the two-ways trend overdone generally?  Yup.  But, when corn two ways works, it works.

The corn was basically what this dish was all about, besides the single sprig of green leaf garnish on top, this dish was corn.  No other vegetables, no nuts for garnish, etc.  Just corn, and the sauce.

Oh, right the sauce.  Um, wowzer.  The corn was good, and I suspect it would have been tasty smothered in miso butter, or butter and herbs, etc, but smother it in sweet and spicy honey truffle sauce?  OMG.  That sauce was crazypants delicious.  It was very lightly spicy from the schichimi, and certainly sweet from honey.  I didn't actually taste truffle, which was fine, it still had a ton going on flavor-wise.  

The dish was really smothered in the sauce, but, that was exactly what I wanted.  It wasn't over dressed.  There was just plenty of it, and plenty to dunk some leftover other veggies I had in too.

Overall, unique, flavorful, and just downright all around delicious.  I'd get it again in a heartbeat.  I still salivate thinking of this dish.  ****+.

Warm Mushroom Salad. $30.

"Sautéed seasonal Japanese mushrooms. Served over endive and yuzu dressing."

After the success of the corn, I was excited to get my next veggie side dish, the warm mushroom salad.  At $30 (!), this was really a splurge for a side dish that was really just mushrooms.  I do love "fancy" mushrooms though, and thought if the price was so high, even for Nobu, they must be really special.

They weren't.  The mix was good - lots of variety, from thin stringy enoki mushrooms, to juicy thicker slices of portobellos, and everything in-between.  The mushrooms were all well cooked - none too soggy, nicely browned, and I liked the assorted sizes. So, fine execution, and good mushroom selection.  ***+.

What made this dish not a winner for me was the sauce.  Where the sauce is what made the corn dish shine, this one weighed it down.  It was really, really greasy.  Every bite of it left my mouth coated in grease.  It had a flavor I didn't care for either, fairly sour.  * sauce.

At the base was the endive, which, in the photo online was fresh pieces of green endive, but in my case was cooked, wilted, very bitter, red chicories.  Luckily there was only 3-4 limp pieces of lettuce in here.  They were soaked in the sauce, and truly awful to eat. *.

It was garnished with chives and a sorta random lime wedge.  

So, mushrooms fine, but the sauce just ruined everything, and didn't seem like what I'd consider a "yuzu dressing".  It was bad enough that if I had been at the restaurant I would have asked if it was correct, as I can't understand how they'd serve something sooo oily, but, I couldn't do anything about it since it was takeout.  ** overall, I'd never get this again.

King Crab (Sashimi). $12.

Nobu has a stellar sushi menu, with some pretty spendy options of course, but I was really craving king crab, after having a particularly memorable piece from KanaHashi Sushi in Brookyn back in August.  I had the option of sashimi or nigiri, both the same price, and opted for the sashimi, as I didn't care to mute the crab taste with rice.  I appreciate that Nobu allows you to order single pieces of either.

It came nicely plated with spiral daikon, wasabi, a shiso leaf, and slice of purple radish.  They lose a point for the generic packet of Kikkoman soy sauce.  Even putting it in a little condiment cup would amp up the presentation.  This is the only aspect of the Nobu takeout experience that didn't feel appropriately classy.

The garnish was all good, fresh and high quality, and I especially loved the crispy flavorful shiso leaf.  But of course, this was about the king crab.  The portion was a nice thick chunk.  It was fairly delicious.  Great flavor, nicely cooked, no chew to it, not rubbery.  Just, a really fresh, nice piece of king crab.  Not sure what would enhance it really.  KanaHashi gets a slight presentation win for serving in the shell.

****+, and I would gladly get it again if in the mood.

Fluke (Sashimi). $8.

I'm truly not sure why I was inspired to order the fluke.  I really just wanted something a bit more interesting than my standard picks, and a light white fish sounded like a good idea.  I am not sure the last time I had fluke sashimi was, likely years ago.

It was fine.  A very mild fish.  Nice firmness.  Very fresh and clean tasting.  Unfortunately it was packed next to the warm mushroom dish, so it was warm, which was a bit off putting for sashimi, but, the fish quality was clear, and it was a nice cut.  ***+

It came served with the same spiralized daikon, shisho leaf, wasabi, and ginger as the other sashimi.  I again enjoyed all those components.

Yuzu Soy Sauce. $2.50.

I wanted to have extra dipping sauce on hand for other leftovers I had, and to drizzle over some salad at lunch the next day, so I got the yuzu soy, to be a touch more interesting than just plain soy sauce.  It came nicely labelled.  It had a fantastic citrus aroma, and strong yuzu flavor.  Very good.  ****.

Original Review, June 2022

I was recently in San Diego for a business trip, working at a conference held at the massive San Diego convention center.  The conference had breakfast, lunch, snacks, and evening receptions catered (to varying success), so I didn't get the chance to go out to many interesting meals, but after the last day, I decided I needed to take advantage of being nearby a Nobu, and at least get a snack.  Plus, that way, I could check out Nobu and not break the bank!

I'm going to assume you are familiar with Nobu, but, in case not, it is a global empire, high end sushi and Japanese cuisine, with outposts all over the world in major cities.  We do not have one in SF.  I *think* I visited a Nobu once in New York, my first visit to New York ever, long before I was a foodie, and long before I really knew sushi.  I have a vague memory, and I remember it being a big deal that we got in, and I remember it being really good, but, that is about it.  I *think* it was a Nobu.

Quality sushi is only one of Nobu's claims to fame though, the other being the miso black cod, which, again, I *think* I had, but mostly, I just know I've had many versions at other establishments, all "copycats" of this original star.

My plan was to get takeout to bring back to my hotel to eat a bit later, so that kinda ruled out all the interesting dishes, since those I'd want hot and fresh.  Still, good quality sushi sounded good to me, particularly as I was really, really craving uni (I had mediocre uni a few days prior at Ozumu, in SF).  I carefully selected a couple other pieces, thrilled that Nobu prices their sashimi and nigiri by the piece (not pair), and eagerly called in my order.  But ... I was immediately told some very bad news.  They were out of uni.  What??!!!  NO!  That was the basis of my cravings!

Still, I decided to go forward with the plan of getting a little takeout, but changed my order, totally last minute, entirely.  It was fine, but, definitely not remarkable, and not worth the $$.  I'd still like to return to another Nobu, and dine in person, to experience some of the real glory.

Setting

Nobu in San Diego is located in pretty prime real estate - directly across from the huge convention center and adjacent to the ball park.  Oh, and inside the Hard Rock hotel.

Open only for dinner, the place was entirely packed at 5:30pm when they opened, and I suspect that getting reservations is rather difficult (which, I didn't try to do).

Entrance.

The entrance is not out on the street, but rather, inside the Hard Rock hotel lobby.

Sushi Bar.

As you would expect, a feature of the restaurant is the sushi bar, already full at 5:30pm when I stopped by, with sushi chefs quite busy.

Seating.

The rest of the restaurant has standard tables and booths, and there are some outside tables as well.

Food

Like all Nobu restaurants, the menu spans both hot and cold dishes, Nobu "Classics" and "New Style", along with all your standard sushi (nigiri, sashimi, rolls) and wagyu.  I was just getting a small snack, so I opted just for sushi, but I really would love to return for the cliche miso black cod and tempura rock shrimp or king crab.

Takeout Bag.

Nobu definitely knows how to work the branding.  My takeout came in a fairly high end (for a paper bag) bag, Nobu branded, nice handles, sturdy bottom.

I felt classy walking out with it.

Utensils.

Branding continued to the chopsticks, provided in a package as a pair (doh, I was alone!), and I appreciated that they included a little soy sauce tray with them.

Not pictured, but I also asked for some ginger and wasabi to go with my food, and I was impressed with the quality of both.  No generic green wasabi paste here, it seemed to be the real deal, and the ginger, although pickled, tasted very fresh.

Shishito Peppers with Sea Salt. $9.

At last minute, I decided to throw on the shishito peppers to my order.  I really don't know why, except that I wanted a vegetable, and my options were basically sunomono salad (eh), roast rainbow cauliflower (I love cauliflower, but, strangely, not rainbow cauliflower), roast brussels (which, I love, but had at lunch), or roast eggplant (which, sounded great, but totally didn't go with my toro).  No seaweed salad, although I suppose I could have gotten the regular side salad.

The shisitos were ... fine.  Roasted or fried, I'm not entirely sure.  Hot, in temperature, but I didn't really find any spicy ones in my mix.  Very salted.  I liked the lemon served with them to give a bit of brightness and acidity.

I'm not really sure what I was expecting, these just were what they were, no more, no less.

**+.

Toro Tartare with Caviar. $40.

"Finely chopped sashimi mixed with chopped onions and garlic served with wasabi soy sauce. Garnished with white sturgeon caviar, chives & kumomo."

My original order did not include the toro tartare, rather, I was planning to get toro shashmi, along with other nigiri and sushi, but, when they didn't have uni, I changed my mind entirely, and totally randomly went for the toro tartare, a bizzare move for me since I don't actually care for raw tuna all that much these days (but I was planning to order just one piece to see if my preferences had changed at all).

It came fairly amusingly packaged for takeout, with the sauce in one little container, the tartare and caviar in another, both on top of a leaf with the single kumomo on it.  In the restaurant, it is served with the tartare kinda floating in a sea of the sauce.

Anyway, this was good.  The toro was clearly fresh, the knife cuts were very good and didn't mush it, but I didn't actually taste any onions or garlic.  Quality tartare, yes, but, just toro after all.  The wasabi soy sauce really added a ton to it, as it packed a bit of punch from the wasabi, and, because it was so plain otherwise, it could take a lot of this.  The equal part portions made sense, once I tried it.

On top was the caviar, which added a nice salty component and bit of pop.  

I found myself really wanting something to spread this on.  It is served just like this, no wonton chips, no nori wraps, etc, and I really wanted something like that (luckily, I had some fried wonton strips in my hotel room, and I kinda used those to scoop some up).

Oh, and the kumomo was delicious, sweet and sour and a perfect little bite.

Overall, this was clearly high quality components, but, I wanted something to do with it, and, $40 is pretty pricey for just a few bites.  ***+.