Nobu: from Barcelona to bluefin tuna heaven
Summary:
A logbook by Sensei Hiroshi Umi.
He almost literally lives out of a suitcase, having lost count of the trips, check-ins, passport stamps and layovers he clocks up over the course of a year. Terse of word, but highly affable, Frenchman Hervé Courtot speaks directly and authoritatively as he welcomes us sumptuously to the heavens of Barcelona. One must venture as high as the 23rd floor to visit Nobu, the restaurant atop of the hotel of the same name (formerly the Gran Hotel Torre de Catalunya), alongside the bustle of Sants train station.
Born in Burgundy, Courtot has embarked on an outstanding journey of excellence and lessons learned, taking him to the very summit of his profession. He now holds the position of corporate chef at Nobu Hospitality, responsible for the cuisine of oriental and nikkei stamp served at the Nobu restaurants in London, Marbella, Ibiza, Warsaw and Riyadh, as well as setting the course for the establishments in Budapest, Milan, Moscow, Dubai, Doha, Cape Town, Kuala Lumpur… and Barcelona.
With his plastic-framed glasses always on hand to make sure he doesn’t miss a detail, escorted by executive chef Carlos Gómez – “the best teacher one could have”, he mentions–, Courtot shows us his talent and class with a number of dishes using Fuentes bluefin tuna as their main ingredient, while running through his life and memories.
The origins of Hervé Courtot
“I was born in a little village in France, and always felt a passion for cooking. At the age of 17 I enrolled at a traditional French Cookery School, where I spent three years. After that I did traineeships around the country, and travelled for work around Asia, the Middle East, Europe…” he recounts. Two decades ago, he bumped into Nobu Matsuhisa. It was professional love at first sight. “22 years later, and I’m still here,” he mentions. “Nobu is a wonderful person, and never stops working; he’s a real example,” he adds.
It should be recalled that Nobu Matsuhisa was one of the leading promoters and champions of sushi around the world, after opening his first eatery in Beverly Hills in 1987. Through his 55 restaurants, with 20 more to come within a couple of years, and alongside his partner, the actor Robert De Niro, he popularised nikkei cuisine, adding hints and suggestions of the country where each establishment is set up.
Nobu Barcelona: haute cuisine in a highly personal setting
Nobu is also a byword for dazzling glamour, a popular haunt of the beautiful people, celebrities, elite athletes and all kinds of VIP, with a very specific concept given to each venue, through painstaking décor and interior design. In the case of Barcelona, Rockwell Group has helped embellish the experience with a wonderful setting, complete with nods towards Gaudi, and even kintsugi collages, those broken pieces of ceramics that are reattached in irregular form, reflecting the beauty of the scars of life.
Aside from the unquestionably delicious food, Nobu restaurants above all represent a highly personal ambience or atmosphere. Here in the Catalan capital, the great visual strength is provided by the 360° picture windows with views of the Sagrada Familia, Barceloneta, Tibidabo… A panorama like few others around the world, revealing the perfectly geometrical urban physiognomy of Barcelona’s streets.
To delight the taste buds (open only for dinner), tartar of Fuentes toro with caviar and a fabulous tataki with tosazu, a vinaigrette made with rice, dashi, mirin, soy sauce and konbu seaweed, all infused with katsuobushi: acidity balanced to perfection with the mirin and the umami of the dried bonito. The nigiris are simply perfect as the overture to this symphony amid the clouds, followed by a truly memorable toban yaki of toro(the ingredients are placed on a dish of vitrified ceramic, on which they gently cook through). The chutoro sashimi salad with its dressing has the hallmark of Nobu Matsuhisa, while the akami with fresh tomato features that Mediterranean note in tribute to its surroundings.
Dishes exclusive to each country
“The menu at each Nobu is slightly different all around the world, as we aim to use local products as far as possible, as in the case of Spanish bluefin tuna. We have signature dishes that are common to all our establishments, around 80%, while the remaining 20% depend on the chef and the influences in each country. I would say that each Nobu has something that makes it uniquely special, but I was surprised by the quality and variety of fish and seafood you have in Spain,” Courtot explains. The French chef adores seasonal products, and will always sniff out the different dishes and recipes of each new city where he sets foot.
Another of the most celebrated Nobu creations that have spread around Spain (as well as Barcelona, they have opened venues in Madrid and San Sebastian, which we will find time for in due course), is the king crab inaniwa, a cold soup with potato starch and wheat flour, its magnificence lying in its simplicity, along with the salt cod brandade and wagyu dumplings.
There could be no better finale to what has been a fabulous soirée, than to round things off with an intense sake at the Kozara bar, headed by Simon, one of the finest barmen in Barcelona. Dusk begins to fall on the far side of Montjuïc. Courtot dives into the labyrinth of his computer, amid Excel spreadsheets and agendas full of timetables and underlined dates. The chef will soon be carefully folding up his jacket into a suitcase, and heading off to the airport. He still smiles, though, his enthusiasm outweighing his tiredness. “I’m already getting ready for the new Nobu opening in Bangkok. It’s going to be fantastic.” THE END
