GREAT EATS HAWAII: NOBU WAIKIKI

Sunday, June 23, 2013

NOBU WAIKIKI

NOBU WAIKIKI

HONOLULU, HAWAII

NOBU WAIKIKI

WAIKIKI PARC HOTEL

2233 HELUMOA ROAD

HONOLULU, HI 96815

808-237-6999

808-237-6990 FAX

HOURS: Sunday thru Thursday 5:30 PM - 10:00 PM

Friday and Saturday 5:30 - 10:30 PM

Monday thru Sunday Bar Lounge 5:00 PM - 12:00 PM

EMAIL: waikiki@noburestaurants.com

http://www.noburestaurants.com/waikiki/experience/introduction/

First off let me say that I like Nobu Waikiki. I like the food and the staff. Have eaten here several times and always have had great food and service. The staff smiles, they are knowledgeable about the menu and they deliver a great dining experience. The problem is when you get the bill. Place is a bit expensive. Dinner without tip for three was $300 and we were still hungry when we left. Lucky we had several Nobu gift cards for this night out. When you enter Nobu it is a bit dark. The lovely young hostesses greet you with big smiles and promptly seat you in the main dining room. As you enter the dining room, the entire staff yells "Irashamase" which means Welcome to our House. This is repeated for every customer that enters the dining room so you automatically look up when people enter. Great for people watching. The crowd on a Saturday night was mixed. Lots of families with children, couples and a mix of locals and tourists. While the prices, service and decor are upscale here, the dress code is pretty much open with many of us wearing shorts. Our waiter Landon was exceptional. He recommended dishes and explained the ingredients thoroughly. We started with one of my favorites at Nobu. The Kanpachi Jalapeño ($33). I never realized how pricy this dish was until we got the bill. $33 for six small pieces of fish eaten with a slice of jalapeño, cilantro and Ponzu Sauce. Really good but really expensive. My wife tried the Lobster Miso Soup ($10). The Miso Soup included small pieces of lobster. I tried the Miso and both me and the wife said it was just o.k. Next up was the Ahi Poke ($21). The Poke was buried under a pile of Hearts of Palm. There were only a few small pieces of Ahi under the pile. It was super fresh, silky and delicious. Just not much of it for the price. Our waiter recommended the White Fish ($29.00) Pretty much the same as the Kanpachi with different topping. Again the price. The Kurobuta Pork Belly ($20.00 half order) was a star. The Pork Belly melted in our mouth and tasted like good bacon. Served with some delicious Brussel Sprouts. My favorite dish at Nobu is the King Crab Tempura ($29.00). Lightly battered King Crab that you eat with a slice of jalapeno, cilantro and red onion. Served with a light Ponzu Sauce. This dish is fantastic. One of my favorites of all time. I could literally eat three orders of this myself. Again the price though. Our waiter recommended a special Duck entree served with Foie Gras ($45). Thinly sliced Duck and a nice piece of Foie Gras that was cooked to perfection. The Foie Gras was the star on this plate. We did not know this dish was $45 until we got the bill. Still hungry after all this we added a Fire Cracker Ikura Sushi Roll ($23.00) to the meal. Ahi with Avocado and Asparagus with a bit of heat at the end. Good sushi but we all agreed we would prefer going back to Doraku (see blog post) for sushi. Still hungry, we ordered two deserts to share. The Banana Toban ($13) was delicious. Mochi Sponge Cake with Banana,Caramel and ice cream. I am not a big Mochi eater but this desert was probably my favorite Mochi dish ever. The Bento Box ($13.00) is a Flourless Chocolate Cake with more gooey chocolate inside served with ice cream. Fantastic..delicious...awesome. This was a great dinner with great service. Really hope we get some more of those Nobu Gift Cards again for Christmas.
Click link below for updated post on Nobu and their new location;
https://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2017/04/nobu-honolulu.html