Nobu and Japanese dining

I finally had the chance to compare Nobu's whilst in Dubai recently, having only eaten at the Berkeley Square outpost in the past. Waves of bamboo style canes frame the 200 cover dining room along with moody lighting and a jazzy house soundtrack. The effect is a funkier version of the Berkeley Square room with a smaller bar. The signature black cod and Rock Shrimp Tempura with Creamy Spicy Sauce were as good as ever whilst service was better than London, showing none of the condescension that so often afflicts the London staff. Interestingly, Tuna is now yellowfin rather than blue, perhaps recognising marine conservation concerns.

Nobu is of course the epitome of fashionable western friendly fusion dining. Backed by Robert De Niro, it is one of several high end Japanese restaurants in London. In writing this post it occurred to me to ask, which Japanese restaurant is best. The reality of eating Japanese food outside of it's home country however is that it's popularity with well heeled Oligarchs, film stars and the hedge fund crowd means that it will never truly represent genuine Japanese cuisine and is invariably found in L.A, London and Dubai. So whilst Sake no Hana, a Kaiseki eatery and Zuma which focuses on Izakaya cuisine both offer trendsetting excellent meals, they are, I suspect, not authentic.

The further difficulty of course is that whilst most foodies will have revised etiquette (only wipe your hands on the hot towels, don't stick your chopsticks upright in the food, only pour soy sauce in your bowl and don't allow it to touch the fish), they have no benchmark against which to compare the genuine article. Perhaps authenticity isn't the ultimate arbiter of quality though my experience tells me otherwise which is why a gourmet tour of Tokyo and Kyoto is on my list of things to do before I die. Suffice to say, I have enjoyed unami laden hot dishes and the clean textured taste and geometric precision of good sushi in all of the above to a greater or lesser degree.

So how to judge? In this case, I rely on the ultimate hallmark of any restaurant, that is, how many times have I returned and spent my own money. This makes the task easier. Umu headed by Ichiro Kubota offers a Michelin starred take on Kyoto dining that is a step ahead of most of the competition whilst Kiku's, the erstwhile branch of the Mikuniya Onsen Inn in Kinosaki in Hyogo prefecture is entirely traditional, has been pleasing Mayfair for over twenty years and me regularly for the last five. Perhaps not such a conundrum after all then?