Matsuhisa Athens (Nobu)

I don’t know if it’s against the current spirit of the times to write about places that are, well, très cher. On the other hand, most of the recent meals I have had in restaurants that are more pedestrian, spruced up tavernas, really, are getting tired. The menu in most of these joints is pretty much the same with a few personal “twists”: fava (split pea purée), fries, soutzoukakia, maybe a pita of the day, some salads with nams that usually promise a lot more than they deliver, etc. Then there is Matsuhisa. It was amazingly crowded on a recent Friday night, absolutely delicious.

I had refrained from going, mainly because I feared that I’d like it too much!

The space is not quite what I had anticipated. Nicely appointed in lively browns, Matsuhisa stakes no claim to zen calm. The decor is busy and the place bustling and noisy. The wait staff does an excellent job of initiating customers into the world of Nobu Matsuhisa’s empire, by explaining specials that are specials in every restaurant, by suggesting the complex tasting menus for two, by suggesting dishes for novices and more experienced palates alike.

We started with a fabulous plate of “new” sashimi, tongue-sized pieces of very tender salmon that had been flash seared and served forth in a delicious sweet sauce swirled with another sauce made of what I think was smoked eel. The presentation is stunning. The tuna in jalapeno sauce was less spicy than I had hoped and the tuna marinated to the point of being thoroughly cooked. It was very good. The blackened cod, a house special in Nobu restaurants all over the world, was arguably the best piece of fresh cod I have ever had. It was perfectly cooked, seared and crusted with a sweet sauce, and served with an artful pencil-like piece of pink pickled ginger. The fish flaked off like a puffs of cumulus clouds, so light and tender and just delicious. The rolls were very good, but rolls are rolls, even the special Matsuhisa roll with several different kinds of fish and a sprinkling of crunchy roe. For me, one of the great dishes of the night was neither sushi, sashimi, or fish at all, but an unlikely, extremely simple, delicate, and earthy wedge of cabbage! Yes, cabbage, cooked in the wood-burning oven that stands tall as soon as you walk in and peer into the open kitchen. It as dressed with a few flakes of black truffle and a drizzling of truffle oil. It needed a little salt, at least for my palate, but it was absolutely surprising and original and the kind of thing I am inclined to try, granted in a more pedestrian version, in my own kitchen. The fresh salad with tuna slices was delicate and tender and the sauce amazing: a concoction of finely chopped onions and sesame oil that united the entire plate.

Desserts were to die for here, too. The chocolate bento box came with a piece of dense chocolate ganache cake and a side of green tea ice cream. They played off each other beautifully, the deep, dark, overwhelming power of the chocolate tempered by the cool aloofness of the ice cream. We also loved the espresso mousse in a shot glass with Suntori whiskey foam.

Matsuhisa was fabulous, totally outrageously priced, but the kind of meal that you remember well past the next morning. And, hey, it’s the holidays. We indulged...

Cuisine: Contemporary, artful Japanese fusion

Athens Area: Southern suburbs, near the sea

Decor-Atmosphere: Zen with a happening buzz

Service: Very professional and informed

Wine List: Excellent wine list and sake list

Prices: Close your eyes and take out the plastic (120+ euro per person)

Address: Astir Palace Hotel, 40 Apollonos str., Vouliagmeni

Tel.: 210-8960510