Nozomi review: Al Khobar welcomes authentic fine-dining Japanese fare


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Founded in 2004 by restaurateur Marios George, the first Nozomi in London was a huge hit with Saudi travellers.

Its Riyadh outpost quickly became known as one of the best fine-dining establishments in the kingdom. In March, Al Moajil Hospitality group took the Japanese restaurant to Matal, the new corniche development in Al Khobar – and this one's bigger and better than ever.

Where to expect and where to sit

Nozomi opened in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, in March. Photo: Nozomi
Nozomi opened in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, in March. Photo: Nozomi

Located on the second floor of the food complex in Matal, Nozomi is described as a “hidden gem” by chef Pawel Viktorek, culinary director of Al Moajil Hospitality.

Viktorek, who has been in the kingdom for three years and has had experience heading Zuma, says: “After all my years in the GCC, I like Saudi Arabia the most, especially Al Khobar. The people are friendly and the location is great with a beautiful shoreline. I find Al Khobar is a hidden gem, just like this restaurant.”

Indeed, everything seems to slow down once you walk into Nozomi, and you're greeted with a refreshing scent and smiling hostesses. Within, traditional Japanese architecture, replete with bamboo and wood, creates a secluded, intimate and luxurious space for diners, while a seat on the terrace comes with beautiful views of the Moon suspended over Khobar's corniche.

The menu

Nozomi is the first restaurant in Khobar to ship its produce – from the seafood and Grade 12+ Wagyu to the wasabi – directly from Japan, guaranteeing the “freshness and quality of your sushi platter”, Viktorek says.

My dining partner and I start with edamame followed by miso soup, one with Angus beef, the other with vegetables, served in colour-coordinated handcrafted ceramic bowls. The accompanying steamed buns are stuffed with Angus and tonkatsu sauce, and are branded with the Nozomi logo for an Instagrammable shot.

Nozomi-branded nikuman buns. Photo: Nozomi
Nozomi-branded nikuman buns. Photo: Nozomi

Next we try the crispy fried shrimp popcorn. This is served with a side of green chilli mayonnaise, which is a refreshing change from the typical sauce-drenched style. It's tempting to keep on snacking, but do save room for the authentic Japanese seafood platter, which is exquisite. It includes hamachi, akami and an unbelievably fresh and delicious gold-seared salmon dressed with avocado truffle cream and tobiko, and classic California maki.

While Wagyu beef sliders are a favourite starter in Saudi Arabia, we'd replace them with Nozomi's new entry: Wagyu sandos, scrumptiously tender meat sandwiched between soft brioche.

Stand-out dish

Wagyu sando at Nozomi. Photo: Nozomi
Wagyu sando at Nozomi. Photo: Nozomi

The Wagyu sando is the unexpected star of the show, and comes sprinkled with 24k gold confetti. The juicy meat and buttery bread are held together with Japanese honey mustard, all of which melts in the mouth and fills up the heart simultaneously.

The flavourful, tender black cod is another showstopper. It comes wrapped in bamboo branded with the Nozomi logo, and unfolds in front of your eyes.

A chat with the chef

Head chef Gohei Kishi says he always tries to bring out the most umami flavour in his dishes. “Umami-focused dishes can be about enhancing the flavour of a single ingredient, or touching upon five points: the main ingredient, freshness, aroma, texture and even the colour.”

Some dishes Kishi recommends include: for vegetarians, the mushroom takikomi rice, with shiitake, dashi kombu, soy miso butter and shiso powder; for meat-lovers, Grade 12+ Japanese Wagyu beef cooked on a charcoal robata grill; for seafood-seekers, a sushi-sashimi omakase platter; and, for dessert, the signature sharing platter filled with exotic fruit, fondant au chocolate, miso cheesecake and sorbets.

Those celebrating something special can glam up their table with chef Pawel's recommendation: the indulgent seared salmon truffle maki with 24k gold.

Price point and contact information

Small dishes range from the miso soup, priced at a modest 35 Saudi riyals ($9), to the Wagyu sliders, which will set you back SR210. The chef's nigiri and sashimi platters go from SR200-SR350, while maki rolls are priced in the SR78-SR135 range. Mains are divided between seafood (SR145-SR255) and robata meats (SR138-SR270), and desserts go from SR58 for three scoops of ice cream, to a tasting platter for SR380.

Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling +966 9200 12681 or from the website.

This review was conducted at the invitation of the restaurant

Graduated from the American University of Sharjah

She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters

Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks

Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding

 

Why seagrass matters
  • Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
  • Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
  • Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
  • Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
Company Profile:

Name: The Protein Bakeshop

Date of start: 2013

Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani

Based: Dubai

Size, number of employees: 12

Funding/investors:  $400,000 (2018) 

ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800
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%3Cp%3E%0DDeveloper%3A%20Ubisoft%20Bordeaux%0D%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Ubisoft%0D%3Cbr%3EConsoles%3A%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20Series%20S%26amp%3BX%0D%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Sarfira

Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal 

Rating: 2/5

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar. 

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1:  Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6:  The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29:  At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite  a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa. 

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

'Project Power'

Stars: Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback

Director: ​Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman

Rating: 3.5/5

Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20myZoi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Syed%20Ali%2C%20Christian%20Buchholz%2C%20Shanawaz%20Rouf%2C%20Arsalan%20Siddiqui%2C%20Nabid%20Hassan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2037%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Initial%20undisclosed%20funding%20from%20SC%20Ventures%3B%20second%20round%20of%20funding%20totalling%20%2414%20million%20from%20a%20consortium%20of%20SBI%2C%20a%20Japanese%20VC%20firm%2C%20and%20SC%20Venture%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League final:

Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports

Racecard
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World Cup final

Who: France v Croatia
When: Sunday, July 15, 7pm (UAE)
TV: Game will be shown live on BeIN Sports for viewers in the Mena region

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Updated: May 06, 2022, 6:02 PM`