Nobu Milano
Nobu Milano is the historic restaurant where for the first time in Italy sushi became a fashion, opening the ranks of a business that still doesn't stop today.
Before the arrival of Matsuhisa Nobu (not a chef, but a human monument) very few people ate sushi in Milan: they were mostly Japanese in Italy or wealthy businessmen. After the partnership between Nobu and Robert De Niro, in the early 2000s even king Georgio (Armani) wanted to enter into a partnership with the famous chef: the rest is history and I have told you about it extensively in this essay. Crossing the threshold of Nobu Milano means immersing yourself in the atmosphere of a milestone of catering in the Lombard chief town and beyond.
The restaurant is located inside the Emporio Armani boutique. The atmosphere is very elegant, the lights are soft and the furnishings, obviously in full Armani style, follow the typical bamboo motif of the maison. An international, sophisticated environment, where you can enjoy an excellent drink at the large counter or comfortably seated at the tables.
The menu follows Nobu's professional and stylistic path: a Japanese cuisine with important South American and Italian influences.
I started dinner with a delicious Lychee Martini, one of the restaurant's signatures, accompanied by a taste of karaage chicken (never eaten such a crunchy chicken before), warm edamame with salt flakes, a piece of uramaki with amberjack (the best uramaki tried? Yes, without a shadow of a doubt), battered and fried white fish served in cubes, a small creamed salmon tartare. To this I combined a plate of low-temperature cooked salmon served in slices: apparently it seemed raw, however the taste was very delicate, with the consistency of butter in fact it melted in the mouth.
Next I enjoyed one of the most copied dishes from countless fusion restaurants around the world: Sashimi salad with Matsuhisa dressing. The tuna, plentiful and very fresh, was served cooked tataki, the accompanying sauce was complex, with a delicate hint of onion. To be mixed with care, it is one of the best salads I've tried.
Followed by another workhorse, the New Style Sashimi of tuna (but you can order it with salmon or white fish). The fish is served in thin slices, dressed with a dressing made of oil, yuzu, sesame seeds and garnished with chives. Incredible goodness!
Wanting to try the meat too, I opted for the beef tenderloin with teriyaki sauce, served with steamed rice and miso soup on the side. The tenderloin was medium cooked, it melted in the mouth, and the sauce was very delicate, definitely different from what we are used to in even top quality Japanese restaurants.
Finally, Nobu's best-known dessert: Bento box with chocolate cake with a dark heart, matcha tea ice cream and fresh berries. A worthy epilogue to this sparkling dinner!
Dining at Nobu Milano means having an educational experience in what is still today considered a temple of modern Japanese cuisine. Obviously it is a high-end restaurant, which I therefore recommend for a respectable romantic dinner or for a very important event. My experience has been more than positive not only for the very high level of the cuisine but also for the staff, always discreet, kind and pleasant.
🌎 https://locations.armani.com/restaurants-cafes-and-clubs/italy/nobu-milano
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