SAIL AWAY WITH NOBU

Taste chef Nobu Matsuhisa's famous black cod at his Umi Uma restaurants on board Crystal Cruises, where you might also run into the man himself

- Alison de Souza

There are celebrity chefs, and then there is Nobu Matsuhisa, whose name has become part of the cultural vernacular, instantly conveying upscale dining, celebrity-adjacent glamour and cosmopolitan cool.

The Japanese chef's cultural cachet began with Matsuhisa, the Beverly Hills sushi bar he opened in 1987. Its dining room became a celebrity hot spot, known as much for discreet A-list sightings as for its distinctive Japanese-Peruvian cuisine.

Chef Matsuhisa then decided to partner one of his best customers - American actor Robert De Niro - to open the first Nobu restaurant in New York in 1994.

Today, the two oversee a global empire of 55 Japanese restaurants and 18 luxury hotels, all bearing the Nobu name, which continues to wield cultural clout, popping up in rap lyrics and celebrity lore.

The chef has also appeared in Hollywood films such as Casino (1995) and Memoirs Of A Geisha (2005). Earlier in 2025, he was the subject of a new documentary feature, Nobu, devoted to his life and career.

Yet, one of the most exclusive ways to experience the Nobu brand still flies under the radar.

These are the only two Nobu restaurants at sea. To dine at one, you must book a voyage on Crystal Cruises, an ultra-luxury cruise line.

It can take patience to secure a prime-time dinner reservation at the Nobu in Malibu, London or Tokyo.

But every passenger on the company's two ships, Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony, receives a complimentary Umi Uma meal as part of their all-inclusive fare.

And every so often, guests will run into the affable 76-year-old chef himself.

This happened on the Scandinavian cruise to celebrate Crystal's 35th anniversary earlier in 2025.