For the vast majority of people, experiencing something out of their daily norm by exposing themselves to different cultures, people and culinary delights ranks pretty high among their travel motivations. And I completely concur. There’s nothing quite like discovering a cuisine for the first time, or having your tastebuds reawakened by some novel dish with that extra spicy spiciness. Sometimes though, there’s an overwhelming desire to be comforted by something familiar when abroad. Something that may not necessarily be a reminder of home, but is a completely known entity. This was the mood I was in when I suggested having dinner at Nobu.
As a Japanese food lover, I’ve been an avid champion of Matsuhisa Nobu’s delicate and flavoursome cuisine for many years, frequenting his eponymous Park Lane eatery more times than I can remember. The KL outpost lives on level 56 of the third tower in the Petronas complex (not the famous twin towers), and is handily a stone’s throw away from the Mandarin Oriental, should that be your home when staying in KL. There’s a warmth of familiarity as you’re greeted by the iconic ‘Nobu’ sign sitting above the entrance. As you step in to the dining room, you’ll find a long, expansive passage that runs the length of the floor, broken up into mini seating zones. At the far end is the bar area with picture windows on all sides, offering some impressive views of the city.
We opted to have the Signature Omakase menu. It always makes for an interesting experience, as omakase dishes are very much dictated by seasonality, and so it’s a nice opportunity to compare and contrast with how it’s presented in other locations you’ve visited. Our dishes included the usual requisites of assorted sushi and tuna tataki salad with ponzu, alongside other Nobu classics like the blue fin toro tartare with caviar, and the black cod miso in banana leaf. Delicious.
The Verdict
Just as anticipated, there’s something very satisfying about experiencing a product that consistently matches your expectations. Dishes were of the usual high quality and the omakase was well paced. Our waitress brought a charming efficiency and attentiveness to the service, and the happy mellowness of the evening aptly brought our time in Malaysia to an end.
Restaurant – 8/10
Experience – 8/10
