Writing about new restaurants is in some ways quite like writing about new movies. For one thing, the activity under scrutiny usually lasts a couple of hours, and is sometimes way overrated. It’s also similar because the business behind the movie or restaurant is often as interesting as the movie or restaurant itself, especially when either involves big financial risks. This certainly seems to be the case with Nobu Budapest, and not just because the person taking much of the financial risk is a film producer.
In case you missed the first part of the saga, in May of last year word came that the Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest had signed a deal to host an outlet of the international super-luxury Japanese restaurant Nobu. After that came a long period of official silence, during which most observers probably just assumed the whole project had, for rather obvious reasons (the economy), been put on ice.
Fast-forward to last week and a conference room on the first floor of the hotel, where it was announced to great fanfare that the restaurant would be opening in September of this year. (There will be a “soft opening” on or around September 1, and then a proper gala opening featuring Nobu’s most famous investor, Robert DeNiro.) And when I say “great fanfare” I am not kidding. There must have been 200 journalists jostling for position in the room as Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa sat down for the press conference, flanked on one side by District V mayor Antal Rogán and Hungarian-American film producer Andy Vajna, who is apparently the lead investor and driving force behind the deal. It was actually reminiscent of the scenes in old Japanese monster movies in which the scientists tell the assembled media that the monster is headed towards Tokyo. (Or, since the journalists kept applauding the panelists and didn’t ask a single question, reminiscent of the scenes when the scientists triumphantly announce that the monster has been defeated and is headed back into the Sea of Japan.)
Anyway, the whole thing is no doubt the biggest restaurant story that has hit Hungary in recent years, because it so neatly fits the “putting Budapest on the map of international cuisine” meme that seems to drive so much coverage of high-end dining in the local media. And even though many of the assembled journos were appalled to discover that they wouldn’t be getting any freebie Nobu nibbles – the hack snacks were mostly the same sad salami sammies you get at any old pressconf – the coverage seemed uniformly upbeat, save for a scathingly satirical write-up on Index.hu, which was apparently pulled from the homepage after being overrun by comments from cheesed-off readers. Aside from this, the overall message was: “We have a Nobu, just like New York, Tokyo and Moscow! Woo-hoo!”
To their credit, my friends at the Kempinski invited me back for a follow-up interview the next day with “Nobu-san,” even knowing that I would be likely to stray off-message. So after making some polite chit-chat about once living a few blocks from the first Nobu in New York, I got to what I recon is the meat of the story: How much demand can there possibly be for luxury Japanese food in a middle-income, landlocked country where even the Four Seasons found itself unable to keep a high-end Italian restaurant going?
His answer to this was to draw attention to what he said was the relatively small size of the place, which will have 81 seats in the dining room, compared to more than 200 in locations like London. He then went on to say they expected to do no more than 1.5 “covers” per seat at dinner, which is apparently a smaller ratio than at other Nobus around the world.
Matsuhisa is clearly as adept with the press as he is in the kitchen, and is an immediately likeable guy to boot. But I can’t say I came away convinced. For one thing, if you multiply 81 seats by 1.5, you get 120, which may not sound like that many dinners, but in this case probably is. By coincidence, last night I dined at what is likely to be Nobu Budapest’s biggest competitor – Kyoto, on nearby Roosevelt tér – and I counted 41 patrons in a room that seemed unusually busy. And dinners at Nobu will likely cost well more than 1.5 times the Ft 20,000 I paid for myself and my guest.
Meanwhile, the new restaurant will have a 56-seat bar/lounge where patrons will be able to eat, at least from a truncated bar menu. This not only means that the restaurant is in reality much larger than those 81 aforementioned seats, but that some folks who want a taste of Nobu (or to say they have had a taste) but don’t want to blow the bank will just settle for a bite at the bar. And because of the connection with the hotel, the restaurant will probably have to be open for lunch regardless of whether it turns into a similar drain on the bread-and-butter dinner business – or whether just a few covers show. (Note, however, that Matsuhisa told me he didn’t expect to operate at capacity for a while, since the restaurant would only be serving dinner and “actively managing the reservation book” to limit the number of covers over the first several months of operation.)
Moving on to the cost side of the equation, whatever is saved in lower rent compared to places like London or Rio may end up being spent on flown-in fish and other rare ingredients, which tend to cost a lot more here. Matsuhisa also said that the restaurant staff would include a dozen Nobu veterans brought in from other operations.
Another reason I fear the restaurant may have trouble on the business side is that the decision to open it doesn’t seem to have been made purely based on its prospects as a stand-alone enterprise. At the press conference Vajna stressed that opening a Nobu in Budapest had long been a dream of his, and that he has been friends with Matsushisa for more than two decades. Meanwhile, the local mayor’s presence was a physical reminder of the drive to make that part of District V – the so-called “Fashion Street” – work. I’ve also heard rumors that the investors didn’t want to go ahead but that the contract with the hotel made it uneconomical to pull out.
All that said, for a number of reasons I wouldn’t bet everything against Nobu succeeding. Matsushisa clearly seems to understand that the location and current business climate are challenging, and he and his team are utter experts. Another reason I wouldn’t bet against it succeeding is that I want it to succeed, because even if it is a bomb as a business, as a restaurant it’s destined to be an instant classic.
Suuuushi…
Gesundheit!
Domo arigato.
nice promo for nobu in the movie “sex in the city 2″
… [Trackback]…
[...] There you will find 64502 more Infos: chew.hu/nobu_nobu_nobu/ [...]…
Online Articles…
[...]The information mentioned in the article are some of the best available [...]……
Check this out…
[...] that is the end of this article. Here you’ll find some sites that we think you’ll appreciate, just click the links over[...]……
Websites worth visiting…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]……
Awesome website…
[...]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[...]……
Websites worth visiting…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]……
Check this out…
[...] that is the end of this article. Here you’ll find some sites that we think you’ll appreciate, just click the links over[...]……
Sites we Like……
[...] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose [...]……
Recommended websites…
[...]Here are some of the sites we recommend for our visitors[...]……
Blogs ou should be reading…
[...]Here is a interesting artice You Might Find Interesting that we Encourage You to see[...]……
Online Article……
[...]The information mentioned in the article are some of the best available [...]……
Blogs ou should be reading…
[...]Here is a Great Blog You Might Find Interesting that we Encourage You[...]……
Links Trackback…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]……
Blogs ou should be reading…
[...]Here is a Great Blog You Might Find Interesting that we Encourage You[...]……
Links…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]……
Read was interesting, stay in touch……
[...]please visit the sites we follow, including this one, as it represents our picks from the web[...]……
Websites worth visiting…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]……
Blogs ou should be reading…
[...]Here is a Great Blog You Might Find Interesting that we Encourage You[...]……
Recent Blogroll Additions……
[...]usually posts some very interesting stuff like this. If you’re new to this site[...]……
Sites we Like……
[...] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose [...]……
You should check this out…
[...] Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a few unrelated data, nevertheless really worth taking a look, whoa did one learn about Mid East has got more problerms as well [...]……
Superb website…
[...]always a big fan of linking to bloggers that I love but don’t get a lot of link love from[...]……
Recent Blogroll Additions……
[...]usually posts some very interesting stuff like this. If you’re new to this site[...]……
Awesome website…
[...]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[...]……
Sites we Like……
[...] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose [...]……
Related……
[...]just beneath, are numerous totally not related sites to ours, however, they are surely worth going over[...]……
Websites you should visit…
[...]below you’ll find the link to some sites that we think you should visit[...]……
Awesome website…
[...]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[...]……
Sources…
[...]check below, are some totally unrelated websites to ours, however, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[...]……
Blogs ou should be reading…
[...]Here is a Great Blog You Might Find Interesting that we Encourage You[...]……
Recommeneded websites…
[...]Here are some of the sites we recommend for our visitors[...]……
Check this out…
[...] that is the end of this article. Here you’ll find some sites that we think you’ll appreciate, just click the links over[...]……
Related……
[...]just beneath, are numerous totally not related sites to ours, however, they are surely worth going over[...]……
Websites you should visit…
[...]below you’ll find the link to some sites that we think you should visit[...]……
Read was interesting, stay in touch……
[...]please visit the sites we follow, including this one, as it represents our picks from the web[...]……
Visitor recommendations…
[...]one of our visitors recently recommended the following website[...]……
Sites we Like……
[...] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose [...]……
Check this out…
[...] that is the end of this article. Here you’ll find some sites that we think you’ll appreciate, just click the links over[...]……
Recommeneded websites…
[...]Here are some of the sites we recommend for our visitors[...]……
Visitor recommendations…
[...]one of our visitors recently recommended the following website[...]……
Sources…
[...]check below, are some totally unrelated websites to ours, however, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[...]……
Online Article……
[...]The information mentioned in the article are some of the best available [...]……
Read was interesting, stay in touch……
[...]please visit the sites we follow, including this one, as it represents our picks from the web[...]……
You should check this out…
[...] Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a few unrelated data, nevertheless really worth taking a look, whoa did one learn about Mid East has got more problerms as well [...]……
Related……
[...]just beneath, are numerous totally not related sites to ours, however, they are surely worth going over[...]……
Websites worth visiting…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]……
Read was interesting, stay in touch……
[...]please visit the sites we follow, including this one, as it represents our picks from the web[...]……
Get Out More…
Websites we think you should visit…
Check this out…
[...] that is the end of this article. Here you’ll find some sites that we think you’ll appreciate, just click the links over[...]……
Websites worth visiting…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]……
Online Article……
[...]The information mentioned in the article are some of the best available [...]……
Awesome website…
[...]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[...]……
Links Trackback…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]……
WordPress Freelance…
[...]although websites we backlink to below are considerably not related to ours, we feel they are actually worth a go through, so have a look[...]……
Websites worth visiting…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]……
Visitor recommendations…
[...]one of our visitors recently recommended the following website[...]……
Web site we think you ought to visit and use…
[...]we experienced challenge with google search improvements. right today all of us work with a mix of seo program, nevertheless the small secret is that this site program. yet again our own website will be ranking[...]……
Recent Blogroll Additions……
[...]usually posts some very interesting stuff like this. If you’re new to this site[...]……
Links…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]……
Digg…
While checking out DIGG today I found this…
Just Browsing…
While I was browsing yesterday I saw a excellent article concerning…
Just Browsing…
While I was surfing yesterday I noticed a great article concerning…
News info…
I was reading the news and I saw this really cool information…
News info…
I was reading the news and I saw this really cool information…
Digg…
While checking out DIGG yesterday I found this…
Informative and precise…
Its hard to find informative and accurate info but here I found…
Looking around…
I like to look around the online world, regularly I will go to Digg and follow thru…
Awesome website…
[...]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[...]……
Websites we think you should visit…
[...]although websites we backlink to below are considerably not related to ours, we feel they are actually worth a go through, so have a look[...]……
Looking around…
I like to look in various places on the web, often I will just go to Stumble Upon and read and check stuff out…
Wikia…
Wika linked to this website…
Digg…
While checking out DIGG yesterday I noticed this…
Tumblr article…
I saw someone talking about this on Tumblr and it linked to…
Its hard to find good help…
I am constantnly proclaiming that its difficult to find quality help, but here is…
Websites you should visit…
[...]below you’ll find the link to some sites that we think you should visit[...]……
Informative and precise…
Its difficult to find informative and precise info but here I found…
Its hard to find good help…
I am forever proclaiming that its hard to procure good help, but here is…
Digg…
While checking out DIGG today I noticed this…
Sites we Like……
[...] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose [...]……
Websites worth visiting…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]……
Awesome website…
[...]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[...]……
Links…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]……
Recent Blogroll Additions……
[...]usually posts some very interesting stuff like this. If you’re new to this site[...]……
Visitor recommendations…
[...]one of our visitors recently recommended the following website[...]……
Recent Blogroll Additions……
[...]usually posts some very interesting stuff like this. If you’re new to this site[...]……
Recommeneded websites…
[...]Here are some of the sites we recommend for our visitors[...]……
Great website…
[...]we like to honor many other internet sites on the web, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some webpages worth checking out[...]……
Websites you should visit…
[...]below you’ll find the link to some sites that we think you should visit[...]……
Blogs ou should be reading…
[...]Here is a Great Blog You Might Find Interesting that we Encourage You[...]……
Gems form the internet…
[...]very few websites that happen to be detailed below, from our point of view are undoubtedly well worth checking out[...]……
Visitor recommendations…
[...]one of our visitors recently recommended the following website[...]……
Read was interesting, stay in touch……
[...]please visit the sites we follow, including this one, as it represents our picks from the web[...]……
Websites worth visiting…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]……
Related……
[...]just beneath, are numerous totally not related sites to ours, however, they are surely worth going over[...]……
Related……
[...]just beneath, are numerous totally not related sites to ours, however, they are surely worth going over[...]……
Sites we Like……
[...] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose [...]……
You should check this out…
[...] Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a few unrelated data, nevertheless really worth taking a look, whoa did one learn about Mid East has got more problerms as well [...]……
Links…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]……
Informative and precise…
Its difficult to find informative and precise info but here I found…
Looking around…
I like to look around the web, often I will go to Digg and read and check stuff out…
Looking around…
I like to browse around the online world, regularly I will go to Stumble Upon and follow thru…
Blogs ou should be reading…
[...]Here is a Great Blog You Might Find Interesting that we Encourage You[...]……
Recommeneded websites…
[...]Here are some of the sites we recommend for our visitors[...]……
Superb website…
[...]always a big fan of linking to bloggers that I love but don’t get a lot of link love from[...]……
Blogs ou should be reading…
[...]Here is a Great Blog You Might Find Interesting that we Encourage You[...]……
Links…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]……
Feedcastz2…
Fantastic blog post, saw on…
Dreary Day…
It was a dreary day here yesterday, so I just took to piddeling around online and found…
Yahoo results…
While browsing Yahoo I found this page in the results and I didn’t think it fit…
Its hard to find good help…
I am forever saying that its hard to procure good help, but here is…
News info…
I was reading the news and I saw this really cool information…
Just Browsing…
While I was browsing today I saw a excellent article concerning…
Recommeneded websites…
[...]Here are some of the sites we recommend for our visitors[...]……
Just saying hello…
Wow! This could be one particular of the most useful blogs We have ever arrive across on this subject. Basically Fantastic. I am also a specialist in this topic therefore I can understand your effort….
Links Trackback…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]……
Looking around…
I like to look in various places on the internet, often I will go to Stumble Upon and follow thru…
Weebly article…
I saw someone writing about this on Weebly and it linked to…
Dreary Day…
It was a dreary day here yesterday, so I just took to piddeling around online and found…
Wikia…
Wika linked to this place…
News info…
I was reading the news and I saw this really interesting info…
Online Article……
[...]The information mentioned in the article are some of the best available [...]……
Links…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]……
Recent Blogroll Additions……
[...]usually posts some very interesting stuff like this. If you’re new to this site[...]……
Just Looking…
When I was surfing yesterday I noticed a excellent article about…
Read was interesting, stay in touch……
[...]please visit the sites we follow, including this one, as it represents our picks from the web[...]……
Online Article……
[...]The information mentioned in the article are some of the best available [...]……
Sources…
[...]check below, are some totally unrelated websites to ours, however, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[...]……
Websites you should visit…
[...]below you’ll find the link to some sites that we think you should visit[...]……
Awesome website…
[...]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[...]……
Recommeneded websites…
[...]Here are some of the sites we recommend for our visitors[...]……
Blogs ou should be reading…
[...]Here is a Great Blog You Might Find Interesting that we Encourage You[...]……
Informative and precise…
Its hard to find informative and accurate information but here I noted…
News info…
I was reading the news and I saw this really cool info…
Looking around…
I like to surf around the online world, regularly I will just go to Digg and follow thru…
News info…
I was reading the news and I saw this really cool topic…
Check this out…
[...] that is the end of this article. Here you’ll find some sites that we think you’ll appreciate, just click the links over[...]……
Recent Blogroll Additions……
[...]usually posts some very interesting stuff like this. If you’re new to this site[...]……
Links…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]……
Cool sites…
[...]we came across a cool site that you might enjoy. Take a look if you want[...]……
Digg…
While checking out DIGG today I noticed this…
Tumblr article…
I saw someone talking about this on Tumblr and it linked to…
Digg…
While checking out DIGG yesterday I noticed this…
You should check this out…
[...] Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a few unrelated data, nevertheless really worth taking a look, whoa did one learn about Mid East has got more problerms as well [...]……
Read was interesting, stay in touch……
[...]please visit the sites we follow, including this one, as it represents our picks from the web[...]……
Informative and precise…
Its difficult to find informative and accurate info but here I noted…
Looking around…
I like to look in various places on the online world, often I will go to Digg and read and check stuff out…
Wikia…
Wika linked to this place…
Its hard to find good help…
I am regularly proclaiming that its hard to find good help, but here is…
Wikia…
Wika linked to this site…
Its hard to find good help…
I am regularly saying that its difficult to find quality help, but here is…
Dreary Day…
It was a dreary day here today, so I just took to piddeling around on the internet and found…
Wikia…
Wika linked to this site…
Websites you should visit…
[...]below you’ll find the link to some sites that we think you should visit[...]……
Websites we think you should visit…
[...]although websites we backlink to below are considerably not related to ours, we feel they are actually worth a go through, so have a look[...]……
Links…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]……
Related……
[...]just beneath, are numerous totally not related sites to ours, however, they are surely worth going over[...]……
Online Article……
[...]The information mentioned in the article are some of the best available [...]……
Read was interesting, stay in touch……
[...]please visit the sites we follow, including this one, as it represents our picks from the web[...]……
Related……
[...]just beneath, are numerous totally not related sites to ours, however, they are surely worth going over[...]……
News info…
I was reading the news and I saw this really interesting info…
Sites we Like……
[...] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose [...]……
Great website…
[...]we like to honor many other internet sites on the web, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some webpages worth checking out[...]……
Websites we think you should visit…
[...]although websites we backlink to below are considerably not related to ours, we feel they are actually worth a go through, so have a look[...]……
Superb website…
[...]always a big fan of linking to bloggers that I love but don’t get a lot of link love from[...]……
Its hard to find good help…
I am regularly proclaiming that its hard to get quality help, but here is…
Websites we think you should visit…
[...]although websites we backlink to below are considerably not related to ours, we feel they are actually worth a go through, so have a look[...]……
Blogs ou should be reading…
[...]Here is a Great Blog You Might Find Interesting that we Encourage You[...]……
Informative and precise…
Its hard to find informative and accurate information but here I noted…
Read was interesting, stay in touch……
[...]please visit the sites we follow, including this one, as it represents our picks from the web[...]……
Cool sites…
[...]we came across a cool site that you might enjoy. Take a look if you want[...]……
Online Article……
[...]The information mentioned in the article are some of the best available [...]……
Superb website…
[...]always a big fan of linking to bloggers that I love but don’t get a lot of link love from[...]……
Yahoo results…
While searching Yahoo I found this page in the results and I didn’t think it fit…
Informative and precise…
Its difficult to find informative and accurate information but here I found…
Looking around…
I like to surf in various places on the web, regularly I will go to Stumble Upon and follow thru…
Websites worth visiting…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]……