IT’S the annual South Beach Food & Wine festival and the recession, from all accounts, is no longer — dare we suggest — a pressing issue. Nobu Matsuhisa has had a busy start to the New Year with whirlwind trips to his restaurants in New York, USA, and Paradise Island, in the Bahamas. Our interview with this culinary giant commences at the W South Beach ahead of the Bank of America-sponsored Lifestyle Seminar: Sushi and Sparkling Substitutes hosted by Mark Oldman and Nobu’s own executive chef Thomas Buckley. Nobu might very well be part of that global cadre of celebrity chefs (I mean, Hollywood A-lister Robert De Niro is his business partner) but thankfully, fame has left him refreshingly unscarred.

“Our job,” he replies when asked what keeps him at the top of his game, “is to provide good food and good service in a comfortable atmosphere. The Nobu philosophy is to please our guests, and I think that keeping this in mind always is helping us through this recession.”

When we meet up later that evening at Nobu, his words ring true as the restaurant is filled to capacity with a line snaking through the elegant bar/lounge area. The service remains consistent with a zen-like calm exuding from the open kitchen where sushi master chef Sunny Oh converses with customers at the sushi bar, while Thomas Buckley presides over the many menu options.

We had asked Nobu, ahead of the evening buzz, for his take on some eateries’ focus being the bottom line, with the customer often left to take it or leave it. Excellence, it becomes clear to us, is in the details. Nobu’s Japanese culture is apparent in all he does. There is respect, and regardless of how busy he is and the many who would want a minute with the maestro, whose spiky hair, slim build and boyish charm belie his age — he’s 60 years old — his attention is all yours. “When we open a restaurant we try to figure out what the locals like,” he informs. “We are not thinking about the bottom line, but focusing on what our patrons will like and how to please them… We don’t force our food on our guests. When the guests leave happy, that’s when we’ve done our jobs. That is the Nobu concept.”

It is indeed, coming from the man who has convinced the world, and even us finicky Jamaicans, to not only eat raw fish but to pay a pretty penny for it, too. Nobu is, however, quick to point out that Nobu is not only raw fish, but a lot of cooked dishes as well. The menu range is impressive: from sushi rolls to sea bass or Wagyu Strip loin with Miso soup, Sashimi salad and Tai Dry Miso in between.

Nobu’s reputation precedes him and the hushed reverence from the capacity-filled room at the W South Beach on Saturday, February 27, when wine expert Mark Oldman introduces Nobu, speaks volumes. The Nobu six-course menu pairing that comprises Tazmanian Trout Tataki with Genmai salsa, Hirame Sashimi with Dried Miso, Yuzi and olive oil, Wagyu beef Nigiri with condiments, Spicy Tuna Roll, Chocolate Satandagi with ginger ice cream and two-colour watermelon granita takes the seminar to new heights.

With Nobu chef Thomas Buckley handling the formalities alongside Mark Oldman, it seems the perfect time to discuss the beautiful Nobu Miami — The Party Cookbook compiled by himself and Thomas Buckley with forewords by Daniel Boulud and Ferran Adria. It’s a project that he’s very proud of. “There was the preparation leading up to it and the follow-up work afterwards, but we only spent two weeks on the actual photoshoot in Miami and the Bahamas,” he shares. “Thomas and I really focused together and were able to come up with a very high-quality book, I think, with the help of the Miami team, of course. I don’t have immediate plans for a new cookbook. However, now that I have restaurants on all five continents, I would like to think about a cookbook with dishes from my chefs from around the world.”

SO’s final conversation with Nobu takes place at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel, where patrons have shelled out US$525 per head to attend The New York Times Dinner Series Tribute Dinner honouring Daniel Boulud. Nobu will kick off the dinner. He’s in the prep area eager to lead off what promises to be an impressive affair. Eschew all thoughts of hysterical chefs. Egos have been checked in with the wraps and brollies (it’s a chilly, wet evening in Miami), and the sole focus of each chef is to deliver the very best for the highly respected Daniel Boulud.

What’s it like, SO asks Nobu, to be presenting a course at a tribute dinner for such an amazing chef? “Daniel,” explains Nobu, “is a very good friend and I am honoured to be able to cook at his tribute dinner. Thomas has actually worked with him in New York, years ago, so it’s perfect that we are cooking for him together. We are serving Wagyu Tataki with Genmai Salsa. It’s one of my new recipes and I thought the brown rice salsa would be nice and refreshing in the Miami weather.” Nobu confers with Sunny and Thomas, all is now in place and the wait staff on full alert await their signal to commence. Nobu changes into a shirt and steps into the ballroom where he stands and watches as his plates are placed. The reactions are favourable. Then it’s time to fulfil other obligations ahead of his early morning departure.

The year 2009 was extremely busy for Nobu. “Last year,” he states in-between photo sessions for Johnson & Wales interns, “I opened restaurants in Cape Town, Moscow and Mexico City. It was too many openings. This year we are just opening Beijing in the summer. This gives me time to make it around to all my restaurants and spend more time at each location.” Regrettably, it doesn’t give him enough time to add Jamaica to his list. “I’m sorry that I myself can’t make it there but I’m excited that Thomas and Sunny from Miami can bring the Nobu dining experience to Jamaica on my behalf. I hope that the people of Jamaica get to feel the excitement and energy that is Nobu.”

Nobu has never had Jamaican jerk but has had Blue Mountain coffee and would love to cook with it. Incredibly, Nobu also finds time to consult, for Crystal Cruises has noticed how eager their passengers are to dine at each stop. He thinks it makes sense “for the Caribbean islands to fortify the dining experiences on their islands and that popularity and recognition for the Caribbean arise that way”.

Our conversation comes to an end but not before we ask the man who has 25 restaurants around the world and spends a mere 50 days at home in Los Angeles not how he has stayed married and remain a great father to his two daughters, but what’s next?

“A Nobu hotel in Los Angeles,” he reveals.

Hmmm, not bad for the man who initially declined an offer by De Niro to open a restaurant, but then took four years to make up his mind about it; the man who feels that his most important ingredient in his food is “passion”. “Passion is important… I cook with my heart,” he proclaims. His philosophy permeates the in-demand Nobu Miami Beach restaurant, from the flawless service to the unpretentious, superb fare. SO looks forward to the Nobu Strawberry Hill experience slated for Monday, March 29, Tuesday, March 30 and Wednesday, March 31.