Noburestaurants

Black Cod with Miso, £1,000 bribes for tables, that broom cupboard incident... there are many reasons why Nobu London enjoys such a special place in the public consciousness. But it does the restaurant a disservice to dwell on such old news. The first London scion of Nobuyuki Matsuhisa's 17-strong restaurant group (in partnership with Drew Nieporent and Robert De Niro) is 10 years old this year, and the 150-cover first-floor restaurant at London's Metropolitan Hotel on Park Lane is as fashionable as ever, with the kitchen, under Group Executive Chef Mark Edwards,

Black Cod with Miso, £1,000 bribes for tables, that broom cupboard incident... there are many reasons why Nobu London enjoys such a special place in the public consciousness. But it does the restaurant a disservice to dwell on such old news. The first London scion of Nobuyuki Matsuhisa's 17-strong restaurant group (in partnership with Drew Nieporent and Robert De Niro) is 10 years old this year, and the 150-cover first-floor restaurant at London's Metropolitan Hotel on Park Lane is as fashionable as ever, with the kitchen, under Group Executive Chef Mark Edwards, still delivering its oft-imitated, never bettered modern Japanese cuisine. Most guests will have tried the famous Black Cod by now, as well as much-loved Nobu classics like New-Style Sashimi, Oysters with Three Salsas, and Dover Sole with Black Bean Sauce. The South American influence - dating back to a formative period Matsuhisa spent in Peru and Argentina - remains keenly felt, manifesting itself in such dishes as Anti-Cucho Peruvian Style Spicy Tea-smoked Lamb and Tomato Rock Shrimp Ceviche.
Luxury additions like caviar, foie gras, and truffles keep Matsuhisa's faithful jet-set crowd coming back for more. Nobu's other two London outposts, Ubon by Nobu in Canary Wharf - now six years old - and Nobu Berkeley Street in Mayfair give the brand's London fans reason to stray from the Park Lane original.

* Matsuhisa, Beverly Hills, California (opened 1987)
* Nobu New York (opened 1994)
* Nobu London (opened 1997)
* Matsuhisa Aspen, Aspen, Colorado (opened 1998)
* Next Door Nobu, New York City (opened 1998)
* Nobu Tokyo (opened 1998, closed 2006)
* Nobu Malibu (opened 1999)
* Nobu Las Vegas (opened 1999)
* Ubon Los Angeles, CA (@ the Beverly Center) (opened 1999, closed c.2001)
o (Ubon is Nobu spelled backwards)
* Armani/Nobu Milan (opened 2000)
* Ubon by Nobu, London (opened 2000)
* Noby Paris (opened 2001, closed 2003)
* Nobu Miami Beach (opened 2001)
* Nobu Fifty Seven, New York City (opened 2005)
* Nobu Berkley, London (opened 2005)
* Nobu Crescent Court, Dallas (opened 2005)
* Nobu Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas (opened 2006)
* Nobu Hong Kong (opened on 24 December 2006)
* Nobu Dallas (Opened 2006)
* Nobu Waikiki (Opened May 2007)
* Nobu Melbourne (Opened on 16 August 2007)
* Nobu Los Angeles (Opening August 2007)
* Nobu San Diego (Opening October 2007)

in the Nobu London :
Behind the stove:
Scott Hallsworth under Group Executive Chef Mark Edwards
Always on the menu:
Chocolate Bento Box
Random fact:
Nobu restaurants worldwide last year served 1.6 million customers
Wine list:
£23 - £5,200
Menu:
£25 set lunch, omakase menu £90
Metropolitan Hotel, 19 Old Park Lane, London W1, England
+44 (0)20 7447 4747
www.theworlds50best.com
Nobu Matushisa's official website