Nobu — Restaurant in Melbourne

A Polite Word on Nobu, Melbourne – From a Recent Guest with the Highest of Hopes Ah, a spring Tuesday along the Yarra — graduation robes flowing, dear friends gathered, and what better culmination to such a moment than a celebratory luncheon at the much-revered Nobu, a name synonymous with global culinary prestige. The backdrop: Melbourne's glittering Crown, just across from the very ceremony that marked a personal milestone, and mere floors below where my visiting parents were staying. A perfect picture, indeed. With this in mind, we approached our 3½ hour midday repast with enthusiasm — an occasion to indulge in the finest. Our table ordered broadly, sampling the spread with high spirits and a sincere appetite. Early signs were promising: the whiting and the salt and pepper calamari arrived with flair, and we were poised for a memorable journey. Alas, what followed did not so much descend as it did… plateau, then falter. Edamame — surely the simplest of pleasures — paled beside those served at Kuzu in Woodend, whose spicy rendition lingers far more delightfully on the tongue. Several seafood dishes — whether miso-glazed, caramelised, or ceviche-styled — simply missed their mark. Flavours lacked definition; temperatures felt off. A scallop dish, for instance, prompted us to pause entirely: not a hint of wasabi nor pepper, as promised. To their credit, the staff offered an alternative — a gracious gesture, though the replacement fared no better.

The signature black cod — a dish so often spoken of in reverent tones — arrived with all the promise of greatness. And indeed, its outer edges were quite beautifully prepared: delicate, buttery, and properly yielding. Alas, the centre — sampled by one of our party — was notably underdone, neither sashimi nor properly warm soft to the point of uncertainty, and lacking in the warmth one would reasonably expect. I, having taken my portion from the side, found it rather more agreeable. Not a failure, certainly — but far from the triumph it is famed to be.

Now, I’ve dined at establishments of similar standing, and never shy from showing appreciation where due — even a modest 10% tip for effort. This time, for the first time, I did not. It pained me, but felt honest. This is not written with malice. Quite the opposite — it is penned out of deep respect for what Nobu represents globally, and for the warmth and humility of the man himself, as so touchingly revealed in his documentary. But herein lies the rub: Navi in Yarraville — less known, perhaps, but infinitely more generous in spirit and taste — leaps elegant hoops around what we experienced here. Will I return? Likely not. But I will, with full heart and empty stomach, return to Navi — again and again. With sincerity,
A guest who hoped for more

p.s. What left rather a poor taste, however, came not from the kitchen but from the kerb: we had been graciously offered complimentary parking — a kind and thoughtful gesture, we felt at the time — only to discover upon departure that it had not, in fact, been applied. One loathes to quibble over such things, but the contrast between promise and reality rather echoed the broader experience: gestures made, expectations raised, and in the end, not...

Service was non-existence. Poor customer service for the price that was asking for a $200 per head lunch at a 5-star hotel. Worst experience dining at a hotel's F&B ever. Stated it was for a birthday occasion. The lack of prepare and asking customers to squeeze between busy tables when 70% of the venue is empty is just beyond my comprehension.

Overall staff training needs to be revisited. Jason is a tall man and ordering with him when being squeezed between busy tables is just as difficult. When you are calling yourself a world-renowned Japanese restaurant, we expect high quality of food and customer service. I would expect waiting person to come closer to customer level, where in most Japanese settings, waiting person kneel down to make them feel welcome and show respect, AKA seiza or omotenashi. Jason was rude and difficult to speak to. Have no idea what he was rushing on. He could have clarified things a much different way, but really took the worst option. Jason, rethink about your career decision, the tone of speech made me thinking that I was at a fast food chain, ordering with under-age kids. Simple etiquette like such are missed. Other bits would be waiting person not paying attention to customers' needs, where another solo diner was observed to be waiting to get their order placed for minutes, since they are placed to seat at an awful cornered table at the very end of the venue, placing our table water to a place where we could not reach and not refilling, when cleared the entire table, not asking if customer is ready for sweets or bills. In general, just simple yet crucial dining etiquettes missing at a high-end dining place, which kills my drive of coming back again.

Food was great, especially the black cod miso. Only disappointment was our order being told would take longer, since it is big. I and my friend (2 ladies) ordered a total of 16 pcs of nigiris and 12 pcs of sashimi (?big). I wonder how the venue would run when it is full-house.

People, if you would like bang for ya bucks, review your decision about visiting this place. Would not recommend if you are bringing more than 2 people to this place. Service is a massive concern for what they are asking. We paid $400 to feed 2 ladies during lunch. Think again...

Review is based on the Melbourne Signature Omasake 7 courses ($195pp) Nobu's menu has been updated as of 1st Feb. We came here for our anniversay and I can say that the service was immaculate! Online booking is highly recommended to get table. Overall we had a great experience and the servers were highly knowledgable and accommodating!

We ended up opting for the omasake option which I understand is more pricier than self selecting dishes. The 7 courses are as listed below Oyster, fish salad and tuna (the oyster was so creamy and the 2 tuna pieces in the sauce just melted in your mouth) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Spinach salad with lobster (Salad was delish, only wish for a few more pieces of lobster, we got 3 pieces only, 5 would have been nice)⭐⭐⭐ Sashimi platter (our favourite was definately the salmon but I also enjoyed the first from the left)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fish and watermelon (omg the fish was so so soooo delicious!! Paired with the sauce at the bottom and the watermelon omg, it was heaven on earth)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Wagu beef and veggies (wagu was crispy yet soft, so delish, didn't think the sauce was a great pairing but personal opinion)⭐⭐⭐⭐ 6.1 Miso Soup (uhhh it was super salty... not amazing)⭐⭐ 6.2 Melon Sorbet (super refreshing and delicious!!)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Cheesecake (the perfect way to finish off the night and the perfect amount of food! Cheesecake was so delicious!!!)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The first drinks we got were the Nobu Long Island cocktail and Lychee Coco Spitzer mocktail. The Lychee mocktail was definately the highlight, it was soo refreshing and delicate! I loved it soo much. The long island had the perfect balance of sweet and sour as well!

Second round of drinks were Asahi Beer and Apchee. Beer is beer lol and I didn't love the Apchee... it was nice but not as amazing as the Spitzer A. Nobu Long Island ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ B. Lychee Coco Spitzer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ C. Asahi Beer ⭐⭐⭐⭐ D. Apchee ⭐⭐⭐

Overall, highly recommend going for a special occassion, definatelly worth the experience at least once!! Hope you enjoy it!!❤❤

Thanks again to Nobu for your...