Nouveau Sushi

[tommy]

anyone been yet? the review in the Times was quite promising. i'm very excited to have omakase in NJ.

[RockADS21]

i'm very excited to have omakase in NJ.

ditto

[Rosie]

Was there once. A friend had been there and it cost her $170 for two people. We were careful what we ordered and thought the food was very expensive and the portions small.

[scarlet knight]

We tried it and we were not that enthused. I think that Aozora (closer to Deja Vu) is better.

[RockADS21]

We tried it and we were not that enthused.  I think that Aozora (closer to Deja Vu) is better.

any more detail on Aozora?

[Rosie]

Went there once also and was disappointed.

[prichwich]

There are some reasons to be disappointed with Nouveau Sushi (but they're all common to the better Montclair restaurants: too little parking, screaming kids before 8 PM, no concept of how to dampen the noise level), but the food is not one of them.

I've been there 5 times now (including last night), and the more adventurous you are, the better your evening will be. Remember, Nouveau is associated, however loosely, with Nobu, and the spirit of that restaurant definitely finds itself in the preparations.

At most Japanese restaurants, I almost never order the "assorted sushi" entree because this is usually synonymous with "give me the safest, most innocuous offerings you have." Not here. If you order the "Assorted Sushi alla Nouveau" ($30), you will be given one or two rolls and the rest pieces (about 6 or so). The pieces are the most interesting, as they all have a sauce or some other unusual accompaniment (e.g. tuna with a creamy tofu sauce, yellow tail with serrano peppers, and, my personal favorite, hijiki with aioli). If you're not familiar with the Nobu style, this is a great introduction, and while expensive, it's a fraction of the price of the real thing.

For the traditionalists, Nouveau does offer all the usual suspects and does an admirable job. Is the traditional sushi anything special? No, not really, but it's still quite good - at these prices, however, you can easily find comparable sushi for less.

The cost of the food is quite expensive (for Japanese that is, but no more than Fascino or other "good" Montclair restaurants), and a couple will probably spend $75 to $100 by ordering two cold appetizers, one hot appetizer, and the assorted sushi. But again, this isn't a "typical" Japanese restaurant. Let the chefs create a "nouveau" dinner for you, and begin an exploration into a whole new way of thinking about sushi.

One final note. I didn't read the Times review, but its impact was definitely felt. It was packed last night at 7:30 (we got the last table). I would recommend coming either after 8:30 on a weekday or very early on a weekend to avoid the deafening decibel levels. Also, if you go any other time, a reservation is definitely in order.

[Rosie]

Thanks for your report.

[fascino]

is there somewhere online you can read the NYT report on Noveau Sushi?

[Susan]

We were here on Friday night. We had the omakase dinner. It consisted of 2 hot items, 2 cold items, 5 pieces of sushi, soup, and dessert. It was $55 each and each of us had the same items. Everything was excellent. As the other person mentioned, the sushi is served with different things on it than regular sushi. The hot items were the black cod in miso sauce and rock shrimp tempura. I'm not sure if the portions would be bigger if you did not order from the omakase dinner. The cold dishes were salmon tartare with black caviar and a tuna salad. As a I said, everything was delicious, but it was a little expensive. I'm not sure if the restaurant was reviewed in the Times, but it was definitely reviewed in Sunday's Star-Ledger and received 3 stars. I would go back but would probably order things individually rather than the omakase menu. I think the omakase may have been even better, if my husband and I received different items rather than the same things. I believe that is how it worked when we went to Nobu.

[Rosie]

David Corcoran gave Nouveau Sushi a Very Good on 9/14/03.

When my friends had the omakase dinner it cost them $170 with tax and tip.

[tommy]

When my friends had the omakase dinner it cost them $170 with tax and tip.

you said that yesterday.

[scarlet knight]

Aozora has both Japanese and Western items on the menu. I found both types of cuisine to be well above average and fairly priced. I found the staff friendlier than Nouveau Sushi and the surroundings and noise more comfortable at Aozora. If you tried Nouveau, try Aozora and compare. I preferred the food, service, prices and atmosphere at Aozora, but it's personal taste.

[tommy]

does Aozora have omakase in the spirit of Nobu? or is it just sushi and rolls.

susan, when i've been to Nobu NY, LV, and Morimoto, omakase consisted of the same dishes for both people at the table.

Edited September 17, 2003 by tommy (log)

[Rosie]

When my friends had the omakase dinner it cost them $170 with tax and tip.

you said that yesterday.

So????

Wanted to make a point that if you don't let the chef know what you are willing to spend you could be in for an expensive surprise.

[tommy]

rosie, in my experience, when you order omakase, you tell them what you want to spend. most places go from 50 or 60 and up. the high-end generally includes luxury items such as kobe beef, caviar, etc.

Edited September 17, 2003 by tommy (log)

[scarlet knight]

Aozora has a website at aozoranj.com. Their menu is on the website. Ironically, Aozora means "blue sky." It is located across the street from the former Blue Sky in Montclair.

Edited September 18, 2003 by scarlet knight (log)

[tommy]

Aozora has a website at aozoranj.com.  Their menu is on the website.  Ironically, Aozora means "blue sky."  It is located across the street from the former Blue Sky in Montclair.

thanks for that link. they do have a pretty interesting menu. i probably wouldn't have considered trying it without seeing that menu.