Nobu

“In this outstanding memoir, chef and restaurateur Matsuhisa...shares lessons in humility, gratitude, and empathy that will stick with readers long after they’ve finished the final chapter.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Inspiration by example” (Associated Press) from the acclaimed celebrity chef and international restaurateur, Nobu, as he divulges both his dramatic life story and reflects on the philosophy and passion that has made him one of the world’s most widely respected Japanese fusion culinary artists. As one of the world’s most widely acclaimed restaurateurs, Nobu’s influence on food and hospitality can be found at the highest levels of haute-cuisine to the food trucks you frequent during the work week—this is the Nobu that the public knows. But now, we are finally introduced to the private Nobu: the man who failed three times before starting the restaurant that would grow into an empire; the man who credits the love and support of his family as the only thing keeping him from committing suicide when his first restaurant burned down; and the man who values the busboy who makes sure each glass is crystal clear as highly as the chef who slices the fish for Omakase perfectly. What makes Nobu special, and what made him famous, is the spirit of what exists on these pages. He has the traditional Japanese perspective that there is great pride to be found in every element of doing a job well—no matter how humble that job is. Furthermore, he shows us repeatedly that success is as much about perseverance in the face of adversity as it is about innate talent. Not just for serious foodies, this “insightful peek into the mind of one of the world’s most successful restaurateurs” (Library Journal) is perfect for fans of Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and Danny Meyer’s Setting the Table. Nobu’s writing does what he does best—it marries the philosophies of East and West to create something entirely new and remarkable.

With his multinational empire of restaurants, Nobu has become the world's greatest sushi chef. In his first book, he reveals the raw secrets of his exciting, cutting-edge Japanese cuisine. 180 photos.

I always put something special in my food-my heart, or kokoro as we say in Japanese-and, you, of course, must put your own heart into your own cooking." --Nobu Matsuhisa * Nobu is one of the most loved and best-known celebrity chefs in North America, respected as a culinary innovator of easily prepared, culturally fused Japanese cuisine. Nobu draws upon his extensive training in Tokyo and his life abroad in Peru, Argentina, and Alaska, as well as his own Michelin-rated, award-winning restaurants worldwide, to create unusual and ingenious East-meets-West dishes like Chilled Pea Shoot Soup with Caviar, Oysters with Pancetta, Iberian Pork Shabu Shabu, and the Japanese Mojito, which herald his ability to explore a confluence of cultures and tastes. Nobu style is synonymous with flexibility, freshness, quality, and above all, simplicity. Nobu West is for cooks of all experience levels, providing advice; descriptions of unfamiliar flavorings, ingredients, and techniques; and helpful step-by-step illustrations along with tantalizing, full-color photographs.

Even for those who have never eaten in one of his restaurants, the name Nobu conjures up a magical world where diners enjoy luxurious food in a chic and glamorous setting. As one of the most celebrated chefs today, Nobu Matsuhisa is also one of the most international. His ever-expanding worldwide empire of fashionable restaurants now numbers thirteen, and they remain very much the places to eat and to be seen in each city. His first book, Nobu: The Cookbook, a collection of his favorite seafood recipes, was an international bestseller. Nobu Now presents an exhilarating taste of how Nobu’s repertoire has continued to develop, enriched by his travels and experience in South America, the United States, and Europe, and by the cuisines of the nations in which his restaurants operate. Reflecting a new emphasis on fewer ingredients and a more home-cook-friendly sensibility, the dishes in Nobu Now are more inviting than ever to make. You will find unique delights such as King Crab White Soufflé and Octopus Carpaccio, with nods to Western haute cuisine in dishes like Baby Turban Shells with Escargot Butter Sauce. A Mediterranean flair is evident in White Fish Somen with Pomodoro Sauce and in Black and Red Rice Risotto. Recipes such as Coriander Soba and Sea Eel “Fish and Chips” give expression to his ingenious brand of fusion cuisine. For the first time Nobu ventures beyond seafood and shares the exquisite meat and poultry dishes he has crafted, including Kobe Beef New-Style Sashimi and Lamb Chop with Miso Anti-Cucho Sauce. For the vegetarian, there are treats like Fruit Tomato and Vegetable Ceviche, Mushroom Toban Yaki, and Avocado Egg Pudding. Nobu’s inspired desserts also encompass a broad reach of intriguing flavors and textures. Bamboo Jello and Banana Egg Roll lie alongside Passion Fruit Pasta, while Yuzu Soup with Apricot Ice Cream and Fruit Sake remind us of the basic Japanese sensibility underpinning all his food. Indeed, the essence of Japanese cuisine—using simple techniques to bring out the flavors in the best of ingredients—is still at the heart of Nobu’s cooking. In Nobu Now he demonstrates how widely and how beautifully this tenet can be applied, resulting in the food that his admirers adore—light, modern, clean, and fresh.

Nobu's restaurants are known the world over for the quality of their ingredients and for the skill and originality with which the food is prepared and presented. Now, in this first cookbook by Nobu to focus on vegetable dishes, the master chef shares his expertise and deep knowledge of Japanese cuisine in sixty recipes that showcase vegetables in all their variety. Throughout the book, the emphasis is on fine and healthy Japanese dining. Nobu uses a wide range of cooking techniques--from marinating and pickling to steaming, roasting, boiling, frying, grating, etc.--to bring out the full flavors and textures of the vegetables. He also introduces tofu and yuba, both traditional Japanese ingredients made from soybeans, and offers ten recipes for vegetable sweets and fifteen for cocktails.

A literary sensation and runaway bestseller, this brilliant debut novel tells with seamless authenticity and exquisite lyricism the true confessions of one of Japan's most celebrated geisha. Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read Speaking to us with the wisdom of age and in a voice at once haunting and startlingly immediate, Nitta Sayuri tells the story of her life as a geisha. It begins in a poor fishing village in 1929, when, as a nine-year-old girl with unusual blue-gray eyes, she is taken from her home and sold into slavery to a renowned geisha house. We witness her transformation as she learns the rigorous arts of the geisha: dance and music; wearing kimono, elaborate makeup, and hair; pouring sake to reveal just a touch of inner wrist; competing with a jealous rival for men's solicitude and the money that goes with it. In Memoirs of a Geisha, we enter a world where appearances are paramount; where a girl's virginity is auctioned to the highest bidder; where women are trained to beguile the most powerful men; and where love is scorned as illusion. It is a unique and triumphant work of fiction—at once romantic, erotic, suspenseful—and completely unforgettable.

As the new millennium approaches, the world is getting ready to celebrateunaware that a Russian terrorist cell is preparing to carry out a plan that will change their lives in an instant. It is November of 1999, and all seventeen-year-old Josh Saunders wants to do is escape his Podunk town of Elnor, Texas. But everything is about to change when Josh learns the US president and vice president are dead. A nuclear missile has just struck Washington, DC, and Russian President Vladimir Pemarov has declared war on America. Suddenly what was once a boring little town erupts into chaos. Now Josh and his friend Yuko must not only save their own lives, but also the life of Akbashev Chekenov, a deserting Russian soldier hunted by both American soldiers and his own military unit. As two worlds and cultures collide in a brutal battle, Josh, Yuko, and Akbashev are about to realize there is much more to war than honor and glory. In this modern military thriller, three young adults are propelled into an unthinkable war and soon discover that there is a thin line that separates enemies from friends.

This book explores the growth and operations of the Japanese restaurant in Australia since the early 2000s from perspectives of both restaurant workers and consumers. Through first-hand testimonies, collected from chefs, restaurateurs, gourmets and casual diners, it demonstrates how Japanese restaurants act as cultural hubs, connecting a diverse community of migrants, Australian citizens and international tourists, while also disseminating knowledge of Japanese culinary cultures. The ethnographic evidence presented challenges the colonialist and essentialist understandings of the ‘exotic’ and ‘Japaneseness’ as the ‘inferior other’ to the West. In so doing, the book highlights the complex manifestations of cross-cultural desires, translating practices and the performative racial-ethnic mimesis of Japanese ethnicity. Featuring critical investigation into the fixed notions of otherness, race, ethnicity and authenticity, this book will be a valuable resource to students and scholars of Japanese society and culture, particularly Japanese food culture.