Travel Blog: Omakase Dinner by Nobu Matsuhisa

We had booked the cruise so close to sailing that we really didn't think we had any chance of getting into any of the Nobu dinners, but we were on the waitlist so all we could do was cross our fingers. It must have worked, because on Thursday we received the invitation to the early seating.

We were a little concerned though when Morne, one of the headwaiters who was helping with the guest list at the door, couldn't find us on the list. But then Sigi, who is in charge of Umi Uma, came to the rescue and showed us to our table...and we wondered if we weren't a late addition after all. We were at the last table in the larger section of the restaurant where all the guests were seated.

Our first course was Salmon Nashi Pears. Who would ever have thought to combine sushi salmon and pears? But this is why Nobu has had such a long career as one of the world's top chefs.

It was amazing!!! The citrus in the sauce from the Yuzu cut down some of the fat in the fish and the whole package was light and lovely to eat. I can still taste it as I write!

Next up was Lobster and Kohlrabi.....what??? Yes, another odd combination that worked really well together.

The lobster was poached, and the kohlrabi had been shredded, marinated in miso and served with flakes of dry miso. If you aren't a fan of kohlrabi, and Larry isn't, try it this way! He really enjoyed it. And it was paired with Nobu's Premium Sake. Not something we would normally drink, but again, the two complemented each other very nicely.

The third course was Assorted Nobu Sushi. This was a small selection of Tuna, Yellowtail, Salmon and Whitefish with a cup of Caviar over sushi rice. The Sake also paired very nicely with this dish.

Anybody who ever goes to Umi Uma is already familiar with the wonderful sushi prepared at the Sushi Bar, so this course was not anything really new and different. The sushi chefs are all Nobu-trained, and sitting at the bar to get the floor show while you eat is always a real treat.

The best thing about our table was
that I had a great view of the sushi bar
and Nobu checking up on his chefs

Course number four was Chilean Sea Bass, steamed and served with cucumber and a mint-apple salsa. Again, not something you would immediately think of pairing. With this course the waiters served Nobu's own California Chardonnay.

It must be looking like we had a lot of food, but even after a nice sized piece of fish, we weren't getting full. But then, there wasn't a lot on the plates other than protein and a few vegetables.

Head Sommelier Jiri showing us one of the
bottles in a special Nobu Sake series that was on
offer. No, we didn't buy any!

Chef Nobu and the Executive Chef
of the Specialty Restaurants checking
out how service was going

Our meat course was Japanese Miyazaki Wagyu Steak, served with Shiitake Mushrooms and a Wasabi Pepper Sauce. The Nobu red wine that they served with this, the Cabernet Sauvignon also from Sonoma County, was like velvet and held up against the wasabi pepper sauce.

It was odd to find Wagyu beef sliced thin and, to any steak lover, overcooked! But it was very tender and layered with the shiitake mushrooms like a lasagna. Yummy!

And finally, we reached the dessert course. This was Mango Cheesecake with a Green Thai Curry Sorbet.

The cheesecake was very light and the thick mango layer on top gave it a mildly citrus flavour. The sorbet was delicious and actually had a hint of heat from the Thai Curry.

Once we were finished eating, we saw Chef Nobu by the sushi bar and asked Ritchie, one of the waiters whom we've known for a long time, if he would take our photo with him. Nobu kindly consented and we have a great photo that has even been published by Crystal Cruises in their social media.

Shortly afterward, we all started filing out to let the staff set the tables for the second seating of the Omakase Dinner.

Fast forward to Saturday evening. There was a pre-dinner 'meet and greet' with the special guests and Chef Nobu. I had spent some time in the morning doing sketches of some of the courses, and took the opportunity to put them into my purse before we went to Palm Court.

When I had my turn to talk to Chef Nobu, I also showed him the sketches. He immediately asked for a pen and signed them all! Then he took out his phone and took a photo of them. I later found out from Naomi, one of the bar waitresses, that he had posted it on his Instagram stories for the day, and we managed to get a screenshot of it before it disappeared. One of the ship's photographers was on hand to take photos of guests with Chef Nobu and he was happy to pose with the sketches. An OMG! moment if ever there was one!!!