NOBU MATSUHISA was in Manila at his namesake hotel to host two dinners on March 25 and 26. This marked the celebrity chef’s first visit to his Philippine property since 2019 — before the pandemic.

The scars of that season were nowhere to be seen as Mr. Matsuhisa taught gathered media guests how to make his signature sushi during a preview lunch on March 25, before the P8,500 net per person dinner that evening.

At the Nobu restaurant in the City of Dreams Manila, tables were arranged into a U, while guests rolled and balled to Mr. Matsuhisa’s instructions. He knew what he was doing: his Matsuhisa restaurant in Beverly Hills brought his Peruvian-Japanese style to Hollywood in 1987, and to this day, his restaurants are namedropped in movies to reflect the dining preferences of the rich and famous. Robb Report included him in its Most Powerful People in American Fine Dining list in 2023 and 2024, and last year, the Emperor of Japan conferred on him The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays.

Yet that day in Manila, Mr. Matsuhisa closely inspected each roll made by the guests. He instructed them to place a 10- to 12-gram rice ball on top of a slice of fish, with just a touch of wasabi, then to form it into a rectangle. They then gently shaped the sides with the thumb and the forefinger; after flipping it so the fish would be on top. A lot of the steps are just carefully “massaging” the roll so it stays in place. The whole process is delicate and requires care: press too hard and you smash it, then you’ll have to do it again.

LUNCH WITH NOBUFor lunch, Mr. Matsuhisa served his signature sashimi with yellowtail, jalapeno, yuzu soy, and cilantro. This was impossibly light, granted some earthiness with the jalapeno and the grassy cilantro.

The next course was the Sashimi Salad, with tuna tataki, field greens, his namesake Matsuhisa dressing, shaved roots, and daikon radish. The tangy and spicy dressing gave color and life to the otherwise very mild selection.

The dish that propelled him to stardom, his Black Cod Miso, came wrapped in a leaf with pink ginger fastened by a toothpick, which one pulls so the leaf unwraps from the fish. It is mild and sweet, given some jazz by the yuzu miso, then punctuated by the heat of the pink ginger.

This is was followed by something heftier: US Prime Dry-aged Ribeye Yakimono, dressed in an Anticucho (Peruvian barbecue) sauce. The first bite of the grilled vegetables was enough to convince us about the mastery behind the dish, but the anticucho sauce on the steak gave it heat and depth.

For dessert, we had a Whisky Cappuccino (a modified tiramisu), with its sweetness tempered by the zing of whisky.

PLANSIn an e-mail, Mr. Matsuhisa told us about his plans for the next few years. While he can count over 50 Nobu Restaurants, 38 Nobu Hotels, and 12 residence projects spanning across five continents bearing his name, he says, “Our brand expansion will continue with new restaurants and hotel openings in Maui, Del Coronado, New Cairo, Rome and several more over the next two to three years. Personally, I want to continue to mentor and educate the next generation of chefs.”

Mr. Matsuhisa was named the official chef twice at the 81^st and 82^nd Golden Globes in 2024 and 2025 — with a wealth of projects around him, how can he be sure that everything that comes out of his kitchen comes with excellence?

“The key to making the best sushi is the rice. The quality, preparation, and technique are important. The way the rice is formed in your hand is also important — you cannot pack it too tight,” he said in the e-mail. More important than ingredient and technique though, he notes, “You must put your heart, kokoro, into everything you do — the guests can taste the difference.”

For inquiries about Nobu in Manila, call 8800-8080 or e-mailnoburestaurant@cod-manila.com or guestservices@cod-manila.com. — Joseph L. Garcia