Some 55 restaurants around the world bear the name of the chef Nobu Matsuhisa, which is synonymous with the finest of dining.
A new film, Nobu (available digitally from 18 May), tells the story of how he got there, from learning his trade in a sushi house in Tokyo, to getting a break in Lima, Peru, where he became a pioneer of ‘fusion’ cooking. Always keen to travel, Matsuhisa then ran a restaurant in Alaska, which burnt down, prompting a relocation to Los Angeles.
It was here that his fortunes changed. Hollywood celebrities discovered a taste for sushi: Cindy Crawford was honoured with her own rice dish and Robert De Niro made the chef an offer he initially refused: to open a new place in New York.
This largely uncritical film is as interested in brand building as food – to the point it starts to resemble a corporate video shown to new Nobu employees. It’s fun to see a meeting in which a punchy De Niro pushes back on getting into bed with controversial asset manager Blackstone, but Matsuhisa is silent throughout.
It’s the food that makes him light up. He is enthusiastic when presented with new dishes, and doggedly determined when it comes to schooling the nervous chefs in his kitchens.
Beyond that, glimpses into Matsuhisa’s inner life are rare and soon glossed over. He considered suicide after the Alaska disaster, we’re told, and he feels guilt about a friend who did take his own life. But we end, perplexingly, with a private jet flight to Abu Dhabi to meet the crown prince. It feels telling that the focus is on commerce, not cuisine.
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