Restaurants

If you can drag yourself away from the sumptuous ground-floor cocktail bar, you’ll sashay up the sweeping staircase feeling like Scarlett O’Hara. The dining room lacks the glamour of the bar, but the left-hand seating area, with its bustling sushi counter and a ceiling that resembles the underside of a squid, is the more appealing. The menu is broadly similar to that at the original Nobu , with the addition of dishes cooked in a wood-fired oven. The Latin American influence is evident in Nobu classics such as ‘tacos’ (cute little pastry shells) filled with raw tuna and red onion, served with a spiky tomato salsa. Our ‘new style’ beef was flash-seared, served with citrus-sharpened sesame oil, chives and sesame seeds. From the oven came tender roast aubergine, simply served with shavings of bonito that waved in the heat. Sashimi of razor clam played it straight, as did a maki of soft-shell crab. The only disappointment was an oven-roasted baby squid with ginger, saké and shoyu; it was soupy, with too much onion and questionable use of broccoli. Desserts such as green tea flan or nashi pear tatin sound tempting. Black-clad waiting staff are professionalism personified. Thankfully, the no-bookings policy has been dumped.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008