Nobu Berkeley ST

"...heaven on earth and sex on a plate." - Kate Winslet

John and I were incredibly fortunate to be invited by Rob and Phil for dinner at Nobu Berkeley ST.  Nobu Berkeley ST is located in the heart of Mayfair. The highly rated Nobu Berkeley ST is now one of London's most fashionable restaurants and has also been the venue for some of the capitals most high profile parties.In January 2006 after only five months, Nobu Berkeley St received a Michelin star, following in the footsteps of Nobu London.

We were welcomed at the entrance as we arrived and our coats were removed. Amazed by the stylish, yet relaxed lounge bar and continued to the top floor, where our seats were pulled out.  As we sat down, 4 servers surrounded us and shouted an unknown phrase. Im guessing it was "welcome" in Japanese, but I can be wrong! 

Of course I studied the menu before we went and knew exactly what I wanted to taste. Rob and Phil arrived and we started off with a fruity Chenin Blanc from France. We decided to order something from every section on the menu and shared it between the four of us. I am not being dramatic when I say, this was definitely the most exhilarating dining experience I have ever encountered. We were in Japan's Food Heaven.

Nobu Matsushisa and executive chef Mark Edwards have created a menu, which includes the Nobu classic dishes, but with many new items, some of which are cooked in a Japanese wood-burning oven.  At one side of the restaurant there is a 12 seater sushi bar and on the opposite side is the Hibachi table, available for parties of twelve people. 

We started off with smoked salmon and Halibut sashimi followed by a spicy tuna sashimi salad

Salmon and avocado inside out sushi cut rolls, spicy yellow tail rolls and crispy Pork Belly with spicy Miso, and then for Chef Nobu's signature dish, the Black Cod Den Miso. It was everything and more than what I expected. It was truly as Kate Winslet described it to be: "...heaven on earth and sex on a plate."

Baby spinach and grilled shrimp salad

 Traditional Nobu Style

 Beef Toban

Black Cod Den Miso 

For dessert I had the Chocolate Bento Box served with Green Tea Ice Cream, which was a chocolate fondant, and John had the Nobu Chocolate Tart Served with Sake Kasu Ice Cream & Hot Chocolate Sauce - it was beautiful. A deconstructed chocolate tart made up of a round chocolate ball served on a bed of crumbs which melts as the server pours the piping hot chocolate sauce over the ball, only to find a majestic chocolate ganache surprise inside. Both the Green tea and Sake ice cream were delicious. Finished the meal off with dessert wine and an espresso. It was so delicious I did not want it to end.

Here is the recipe for the Black Cod with Miso, contributed by Chef Nobu...

This sweet and silky fish dish, which has been cloned at restaurants all over the country, is fairly simple to make, though it's somewhat time-consuming: Chef Nobu recommends marinating the black cod in a good deal of the sake-miso marinade for 2 to 3 days.


Black Cod with Miso
3 Tbs mirin
3 Tbs sake
1/2 cup white miso paste
1/3 cup sugar
6 x 180 g skinless black cod fillets
Vegetable oil, for grilling
Pickled ginger, for serving


In a small saucepan, bring the mirin and sake to a boil. Whisk in the miso until dissolved. Add the sugar and cook over moderate heat, whisking, just until dissolved. Transfer the marinade to a large baking dish and let cool. Add the fish and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 200 C. Heat a grill pan and oil it. Scrape the marinade off the fish. Add the fish and cook over a high heat until browned, about 2 minutes. Flip the fish onto a heavy rimmed baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes, until flaky. Transfer to plates and serve with pickled ginger.

It is worth it, believe me...