Just for 2 days this month, on 21 & 22 April 2017, there will be a special Sake Pairing Omakase in Nobu Kuala Lumpur. This is a 7-course menu paired with 6 of the world-renown restaurant’s premium sake selections: Nobu ‘The Sake’ Jyunmai Daiginjo, Hokusetsu Jyunmai Shu Sado, Hokusetsu Yukino Hibiki, Nobu ‘The Premium Sake’ Daiginjo TK40, Nobu Special Reserve 28 and Umeshu, Plum Wine.
We were privileged to enjoy a preview of this omakase meal recently. As usual, when one steps into Nobu, there’s always that inexplicable pull to gaze at the grand view from their tall glass windows. The sweeping panorama has the Twin Towers as its main stars, of course – after all, Nobu is on the 56th floor of Tower 3 and those majestic towers seem like just an arm’s length away.
Dinner started off splendidly with a pretty trio Zenzai of fresh Kumamoto oyster, Kinmedai and soft velvety tofu mixed with sesame, uni and caviar. The sweet briny taste of the oyster was elevated with a dash of raspberry salsa which I thought was such a refreshing touch. As if the reddish hues of the kinmedai was not appealing enough, it has to be topped with a thin layer of dashi jelly which made the eating all the more luxurious. Needless to say, the tofu-uni-caviar concoction was just sublime. The fragrant Nobu ‘The Sake’ Jyunmai Daiginjo with delicate spicy and floral notes enhanced further the marine flavours of the Zenzai items.
Zenzai – Kumamoto oyster with raspberry salsa, Kinmedai tiradito with dashi jelly,Sesame Tofu & Uni with Caviar *Paired with Nobu ‘The Sake’ Jyunmai Daiginjo
Next came a lovely parcel of warm Chirashi Sushi rice embalmed within a fragrant bamboo leaf with wonderful stuff like madai, unagi, snowcrab, shrimp, tamago, sakuraf-fu, gingko nuts and beans! Every component of this luscious comforting bowl of Japanese rice hit the right spot and even those who are not fond of rice will find this very hard to resist. The sweetish and tangy nuances of the Hokusetsu Jyunmai Shu Sado was perfect fodder for this bowl of carbs.
Mushi-Zushi: Chirashi sushi rice topped with madai, unagi, snowcrab, shrimp, sakuraf-fu, tamago, gingko nut & beans
*Paired with Hokusetsu Jyunmai Shu Sado
Sashimi has always been my favourite and the fresh kanpachi and kintoki dai in this platter were faultless. To enhance its superior taste, I layered the sashimi with spinach leaves and crispy garlic curls and absolutely loved the complementing textures and flavours! The clean flavour of the Hokusetsu Yukino Hibiki with peppery hints and a touch of citrussy aftertaste complemented the sashimi well.
Sashimi Salad with Spinach Dry Miso – Kanpachi, kintoki dai
*Paired with Hokusetsu Yukino Hibiki
There’s ramen and there’s soba but have you ever had Inaniwa udon? Made in the tiny village of Inaniwa in Yuzawa city, this udon is thinner and smoother than any ramen or udon and you really have to try it to appreciate its slippery smooth and soft texture. These hand-made thin udon are softer and that’s not due to overcooking either. It is meant to be softer and cooking this with nori sauce accompanied with fresh succulent shrimps and squids was just spot-on. I enjoyed every single strand of the premium noodles with the light and easy-going Nobu ‘The Premium Sake’ Daiginjo TK40.
Inaniwa with Shrimp & Squid with Nori Sauce
*Paired with Nobu “The Premium Sake” Daiginjo TK 40
Kobe Beef cooked to a perfect medium-rare – so well executed that no further explanation is needed. I savoured every bite of the sublime beef with sips of the ice-cold Nobu Special Reserve 28, a gorgeous full-bodied Sake with yuzu juice – just the kind of balance needed for the rich meat.
Kobe Beef with Quinoa Tabbouleh Salsa on a bed of chickpea puree flanked by zucchini flower & pickled purple carrot
*Paired with Nobu Special Reserve 28
To round off the savoury dishes of the Omakase, the sweet Clear Soup with Clams was a welcome dish. The huge Japanese clams were cleverly coated with a thin layer of fish paste, making it so easy to eat the sweet clams. This was so good that I’m hoping they have a bigger portion of this featured on their a la carte menu!
Clear Soup with Clams – with fish paste and kinome
Dessert was a fusionistic duo: mochi and creme brulee with yuzu cream… it’s so good that a non-fan of creme brulee like me actually wiped the plate clean! However, I found the Umeshu Plum Wine way too sweet.
Yuzu Creme Brulee & Mochi
*Paired with Umeshu Plum Wine
Priced at RM798, this exclusive Sake-pairing Omakase Dinner is only available on 21 & 22 April 2017, so do make your reservations early!
For enquiries or reservations, please call +603-2164-5084 of WhatsApp +6019-389-5085.
NOBU Kuala Lumpur
Level 56 Petronas Tower 3
Persiaran KLCC
Kuala Lumpur City Centre
50088 Kuala Lumpur
Open: 12.00pm-2.00pm; 6.00pm-10.30pm