Making sushi is an art, and experience is everything.
I cannot bring myself to wear the Nobu hats, or the Nobu T-shirts. But the chef's jacket, that is mine. And when I wear it, I am very proud of myself.
With sushi, it is all about balance. Sometimes they cut the fish too thick, sometimes too thin. Often the rice is overcooked or undercooked. Not enough rice vinegar or too much.
My business partner Robert De Niro knows a lot about hotels; he opened the Greenwich Hotel in New York City.
The fine art of preparing sushi is something that you watch and learn.
Of course the Japanese and Peruvian fish are different, but it's the same Pacific Ocean. They are different, but I know fish.
Dashi remains unfamiliar to most French and American cooks, who tend to reach for a bouillon cube to do many of the same things. But dashi is worth preparing and using the way the Japanese do: for poaching fish, as a soup base, and in simmered dishes.
I started cooking when I was 18 years old, and now I have restaurants all over the world.
You know how kids dream of being soccer players or actors? Well, my dream was to be a sushi chef.
I eat soup noodles for comfort. In fact, noodles of any kind. It's a food that is very easy to eat; it's very soothing and comfortable, too. If I could choose any, I'd say buckwheat was my favourite: it has a very good flavour and is healthy, too.
I like Mercedes because my wife has been in two big accidents and emerged without a scratch, thanks to the safety of these cars.
Cooking and film are completely different - but I'd rather stay in the kitchen than be in movies.
Cooking is like fashion. Always, I like to try to change. If I'm traveling in a different country - to Australia, the Bahamas, Budapest, Moscow - and I see a new ingredient, I like to try it in a new dish.
I like both potatoes and rice. You can do a lot with both of them. But if I could eat only one carbohydrate for the rest of my life, I wouldn't choose bread, potatoes or even noodles. I'd go for rice instead; I eat more of that than anything else.
Large fish such as tuna are shown already cut into fillets and bought by the block. Fillets should be almost transparent. Avoid tuna that looks rainbow-colored or black.
Eating a lot on the plane is not good for jet lag.
Chefs are artists, and I couldn't be happy with my art if I was forced to use cheap ingredients.
People who make mistakes but try their best, other people will support. But people who make mistakes because they're lazy, nobody supports.
One evening, Mike Myers and Steven Spielberg were discussing 'Goldmember,' and I just happened to joke, 'If you need a Japanese character, let me know!' The next day, they called me for audition! I find it's always helpful to maintain a sense of humour.
I grew up in the countryside in Saitama prefecture, north of Tokyo.
