NOBUO

With a Japanese façade and a Nordic-inspired dining room, NOBUO is all about breaking boundaries. Born in Taiwan and raised in Japan, the head chef opened his eponymous restaurant to champion Japanese-French cuisine using Taiwanese produce. The single tasting menu is visually minimalist but packed in intensity. Surf clam with sweet peas is sparingly seasoned with chilli powder to highlight its natural sweetness.

Unlimited curry rice as a signature dish

• Nobuo serves an unlimited curry rice as one of two signature dishes; it is a curry with a complex long ingredient list (mirepoix, fruits, spices, espresso, dark chocolate) and is offered with repeated refills to avoid guests leaving hungry, reflecting generous hospitality.

Open-kitchen, home-like dining in a residential Taipei setting

• The restaurant is on the ground floor of a seven-story apartment building in a quiet neighborhood; the entry feels like entering someone’s home, the dining room has an open kitchen with no barrier, and a crest (three oysters and three knives) is displayed near the door, reinforcing a warm, domestic atmosphere.

A clear, essentialist philosophy expressed through minimalist yet technical dishes

• Chef Nobu Lee’s approach centers on essentiality and clarity (rather than mere simplicity): dishes like a cold scallop dish with lightly smoked scallop, almond purée, and caviar, and a warm scallop mousse molded in a shell, show restrained plating that emphasizes technique and ingredient truth; the restaurant’s design and menu aim for hospitality and a coherent dining experience.

Signature Ingredients

• Scallop: A central, signature ingredient in Nobuo Taipei's menu. The restaurant features two standout preparations of scallop: a cold dish where the scallop is lightly smoked and paired with almond purée and a caviar topping, and a warm scallop mousse molded in a shell with a butter-based sauce. These preparations showcase essentiality and precision, highlighting the scallop's purity and natural sweetness.
• Almond purée: A delicate, nutty backdrop for the cold scallop, providing texture and subtle sweetness that accentuates the scallop's briny notes.
• Caviar: A luxurious, briny contrast atop the cold scallop dish, adding brightness and depth to the overall balance of flavors.
• Curry Rice: One of Nobuo’s signature dishes, a seemingly simple bowl built from a complex fusion of ingredients. The curry incorporates mirepoix, fruits, spices, espresso, and dark chocolate, creating a deep, layered flavor profile, and is served with generous, unlimited rice as a hallmark of hospitality and comfort.

Tasting Menus

• 10 courses chef’s omakase menu — $4280 (available at lunch & dinner)
• 7 courses lunch menu — $2880 (available at lunch only)

Pairings

• Alcohol pairing — $1800
• Non alcohol pairing — $1200

Note: Prices are subject to a 10% service charge.

Signature dishes (tasting menu components)

• Tomato
• Prawn
• Scallop
• Beef
• Lamb
• Curry
• Strawberry
• Mignardises

Prices for individual signature dishes are not listed in the provided content.