Nobu, Old Park Lane

Last Updated on September 19, 2025

Japanese cuisine with Peruvian flavours

4.0 out of 5.0 stars

Nobu is a brand with cachet. Founded in 1994 by chef Nobuyuki ‘Nobu’ Matsuhisa, Robert de Niro, and Meir Teper, there are now upwards of 60 branches worldwide, from Cape Town to Kuala Lumpur. New openings are awaited in Madrid and Rome, while Cairo is about to get its second restaurant. London has two. This successful empire is built on a fusion of traditional Japanese cuisine with Peruvian ingredients. The restaurants are large, the menus comprehensive, and the food reliably excellent. Although I have had the pleasure of an exquisite meal at Matsuhisa in Paris – Matsuhisa being the fine dining brand of Nobu Matsuhisa – I had never eaten at Nobu, so I was thrilled to be invited to review at Nobu, Old Park Lane.

The first-floor restaurant is a large, light and bright space with windows overlooking Park Lane, beyond which lies Hyde Park. Black leather banquettes line the windowed wall, while the rest of the room is white with blond wooden tables and chairs with plum leather. It is an understated elegance, with flower arrangements positioned at strategic points throughout the room. The chefs were busy at work in the open-plan kitchen, where one can sit at the bar and watch them in action.

We were treated to a welcome glass of champagne, which is a rather lovely way to relax into a Friday afternoon. Bright green edamame beans were a welcome snack as we perused the menu, which is divided into cold dishes including sashimi, ceviche and salads, tacos, nigiri and sashimi, sushi maki, and hot dishes. There is also the option of ordering the omakase menu, and, at lunchtime, there is a set menu or bento box options. Repeat visits are required to begin to do justice to the variety of dishes on offer.

We shared a few starter dishes, beginning with bijoux, crispy tacos with two fillings – lobster ceviche and king crab with crispy yuba (the skin that forms on the surface of boiled soy milk). The tacos splinter pleasingly in the mouth and are very moreish. You may want to order a number of these. This was a good pairing as the lobster ceviche was slightly spicy while the king crab was refreshingly cold and citrussy.

New style sashimi was a beautifully plated dish with alternating slices of salmon and white fish served with a hot sesame oil, chives, sesame seeds and ginger. The flavours were delicate while distinct, with lingering notes of ginger and sesame. The fish had the lightest sear, and the sauce was well-flavoured.

This course was paired with an Australian white wine – Pewsey Vale Museum Reserve The Contours Riesling. It is renowned for its lemon, lime and floral aromas, making it a perfect accompaniment to delicate fish dishes.

We shared one of the sushi maki from a long list of options. Six pieces of shrimp tempura were pleasing on the eye, with bright green asparagus standing proud alongside the tempura. The shrimp was sweet, the tempura light and the asparagus crispy – excellent textural and visual contrast and a delicious mouthful – warm, sweet, crunchy and crispy.

For the main course, we shared a seafood toban yaki and an asparagus side. Toban yaki is a Japanese method of cooking on a hot stoneware plate, where the food continues to cook after it is removed from the heat. The lid was removed at the table and we were greeted by a fabulously sizzling symphony of pinks – chunks of fish, two scallops, two shrimp, enoki mushrooms and a shiitake.  The seafood was succulent and moist, having been cooked in yuzu juice and sake.

The asparagus was an emerald green Jenga of spears that were sprinkled with dry miso. An excellent side dish that combines citrus flavours of yuzu, a touch of olive oil and the umami from the miso. Green and verdant, the asparagus were perfectly cooked, being both tender and retaining crunch.

From the dessert menu, we chose a chocolate bento box and a Nobu-style apple tatin. The bento box was a beautiful wooden one inlaid with leaves. The lid was lifted at the table to reveal a chocolate fondant in one corner and, in the other, a scoop of matcha green ice cream. It had a very pleasing Japanese aesthetic, and the fondant was very chocolatey with good texture and ooze. The contrasting ice cream was exactly what one looks to eat in Kyoto on a hot summer’s day.

The apple tatin was a complex dish. Served on a square, white platter, there was a tower of tatin in one corner and miniature mounds of sauternes jelly with gold leaf, and cajeta, which is a Mexican goat’s milk caramel, similar to dulce de leche, which is made with cow’s milk. There was a sizable round of biscuity base on top of which perched a thick slice of Fuji apple that retained a firm texture. Above the fruit was a beautiful tuille square, as light as gossamer, and then a white disc of mascarpone ice cream. Gold leaf was strewn over this gorgeous tower along with white and black sesame seeds.

The rain had pelted down most of the afternoon, but the sun came out during the dessert course, and we basked in autumnal light. We brought this luxurious meal to a close with a double espresso and a matcha latte. I could have happily spent the rest of the afternoon luxuriating in the warm sunshine.

Nobu’s reputation goes before it, and our lunch lived up to expectations. The ambience was understated and calming – the sort of restaurant where you can be assured of a good conversation over your meal without loud music or other disturbances. The staff dressed smartly in navy were discreet yet friendly and helpful, and the food was excellent.

Nobu,
Old Park Lane,
19 Old Park Lane,
London W1K 1LB

telephone:  020 7447 4747