Nobu Review – the story of passion and loss behind a luxury sushi empire | Video

Men Japana sushi bar where the chef cuts fish for the customer is a kind of stage. Its global counterpart is the sushi bar of Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, whose Nobu chain has established itself in many cities around the world. Matt Tyrnauer’s brilliant documentary chronicles the rise of this passionate but restless pioneer, inspired from the start of his career to leave Japan behind and change his diet. Signature dishes like his black cod with miso – made from Alaskan sablefish – or Peruvian yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño veer from the sushi restaurant template. But don’t call it fusion, Tyrnauer’s film says at the beginning; it’s still Japanese food, open to foreign influences and methods.

After a rocky start in life, in which young Matsuhisa was put on probation after driving recklessly, he “lost himself in sushi”. After spending time in Peru and Alaska, he established Matsuhisa’s restaurant on Los Angeles’ La Cienega Boulevard that gave him his name, introducing an unexpected and exciting approach to the western yen of sushi. Robert De Niro he was one convert, promising to establish a New York branch which Matsuhisa refused; it was something he felt he was not ready for. A few years later, they teamed up to launch a famous restaurant. One of De Niro’s friends questioned how Matsuhisa could become a professional if he only cut raw fish. “Nobu wouldn’t want to hear you say that,” was the actor’s witness.

The docu-portrait verges on corporate promo at times, although there are several telling vignettes in the second half. One is Matsuhisa hauling the Los Cabos hotel staff over the coals to sloppily prepare his dishes; the other is De Niro shooting a friend’s misconceptions about Nobu’s new place. Both bear witness to the difficulty of maintaining a unified culture of cuisine and culture in international affairs; Matsuhisa seems to convey Japanese elegance and sophistication in the middle of things. A friend says his sense of failure is also very Japanese: he almost killed himself after his Alaskan restaurant burned down and is haunted by a sense of responsibility for his best friend’s suicide. But since his father died so early, there is no doubt that this concern is personal. Either way, it’s clear that this passion paid off in the kitchen.