When it comes to eating out, my meals usually come in a bun with cheese on top, but once in a while the time comes to up the stakes a little.

Last week was my wife’s birthday, which gave me a perfect chance to don my diamond-encrusted top hat and solid gold tuxedo, and hit up Park Lane to find out if NOBU really is the best Japanese joint in town.

For the record, I’ve never quite understood the cache of Park Lane. Oh sure, back in the Victorian era I’m sure it was lovely. Wide carriageways, green parkland beyond. But that was then and the now is… well… grey. High-rise 70s-styled hotels stare blank-faced onto four lanes of chocking traffic. It’s not the best view in the world, even if it is among the most expensive.

NOBU London is tucked away upstairs at the Met on the corner of Hertford Street and is easy to miss. On entering you’re greeted by a louche coat-dude before being ushered up pristine white steps, past an acid-trip rendering of the big man himself, Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa.

At the top there’s the slightly confused welcoming that seems to be de rigour in expensive establishments, as though every visitor should be so certain of their destiny that trivialities such as whether you should sit down or order at the bar are unwelcome.

As it turns out, you can sit. And choose from the extensive cocktail menu. I opt for my benchmark cocktail, the Old Fashioned, which is very good but possibly not deserving of the £15 pricetag. But hey, this is a special occasion.

After a short wait we are ushered into the restaurant proper, as every member of staff yells a traditional Japanese greeting at you. And also at every other visitor. All night. It’s a bit disconcerting to be honest. We’re quickly seated at a window table and I get the chance to take in my surroundings in more detail. Light wood, giving off a slightly weird 80s vibe and lighting that’s possibly a little too intimate, particularly if you’re about to start flailing around with chopsticks.

Service is speedy, but throughout the evening we have no less than four different staff attend to us, which is a bit weird, but they are all friendly and efficient. So… onto the food.

I’ll let you in on a little secret here. I’m not rich. Sadly, my father frittered the family fortune away on wine and amateur dramatics (this may not be entirely true), so I’d originally booked as part of London restaurant week, but on arriving we decided to opt for the Omakase tasting menu.

At £85 for a ‘classic’ menu it isn’t among London’s cheapest, but at seven courses it remains decent value for money. Remember that wine isn’t included here, but fortunately the wine menu is extensive, with several affordable options including the flask of sake which we opted for, setting us back around £30. For those of you with solid silver pants, you can also part ways with £500+ for a bottle of fizz, so order carefully…

First up is Salmon tartare, served iced with caviar, and… it’s just as good as it sounds. Incredibly fresh fish chopped extremely finely gives it a meaty depth of flavour while still allowing it to melt on the tongue. The caviar is pleasantly smoky but not overpowering, and there’s a small sweet peach as a welcome palette cleanser. A winner to start.

Next we receive a small plate with salmon, tuna and scallop, served in a rich sauce with delicate, if somewhat unwieldy green vegetable rolls. Don’t be afraid to use your hands for this one. Again, the freshness of the fish is impressive, and the scallop is cooked to perfection, with just the right amount of bite and nary a hint of rubberyness.

Third course is a sushi selection that includes excellent mini-tacos. I was slightly unnerved at the prospect of these initially (let’s just say me and fish tacos have history…) but the crisp, light taco and salsa serve as an excellent refresher among more rich salmon and tuna.

The plate also comes with small pop-sticks of sticky rice that falls apart in the mouth, melting slowly and allowing the rich flavour of the dressing to seep through at the last moment. It feels as though my tongue is getting a warm hug, and I’ll definitely be ordering more when I return.

We’re now deep into main course territory, and no visit would be complete without trying the chef’s signature black cod. So… does it live up to the hype?

It’s served simply, with a simple spring onion and lemon garnish, giving ample room to admire the fish itself. If admiring fish is what you’re into. The cod is sliced thickly, with a perfectly browned miso glaze. It’s fat, gleaming and smells amazing. I took my first bite and it was incredible. The cod retains its light freshness but manages to feel buttery and indulgent at the same time, with the miso light but snappy. I still have chopsticks in hand and they glide through the fish, which flakes but does not fall apart. An incredible dish, certainly worthy of its rep.

At this point there’s a short break in our service, but I’m unsure if it’s down to a slip in our overly-attentive staff, or that they’d kindly decided to give us a short breather before bringing out the sizzling Wagyu beef.

I’d read recently that a lot of Wagyu isn’t actually Wagyu. What it is, I have no idea (I’m guessing beef that has only ever had a light sports massage), but I honestly have no idea if that’s the case here. The beef is served sliced, rare in a bowl that is hot on the bottom, cooler on the sides. This allows you to choose exactly how well done you’d like your beef, simply by moving the slices around the bowl. It’s a tasty cut, but you have to act fast if you don’t want to dry it out. The real stars here though are the mushrooms, which have a huge, incredibly rich flavour. Beefy and earthy. Not my favourite course of the night, but with much to recommend it.

Something lighter next, with a simple noodle broth. It’s not as rich as previous curses but has a satisfyingly full-o-chicken flavour, and to be honest I’m flagging a little at this point so struggle a little with this much liquid.

This would actually make a fine light lunch on its own, so is perhaps under appreciated after shovelling five courses down. Let’s hope I left room for dessert eh?

A small wooden bento box comes with a single scoop of green tea ice cream and a chocolate fondant. I’m underselling it – it’s Araguani 72% chocolate fondant, with a sesame crisp and green tea matcha gelato, which sounds far more impressive.

I’m not normally a fan of green tea ice cream, but this avoids the powderyness that many experience, while the fondant is an excellent little melt-in-the-middle brownie. An indulgent place to finish.

Overall it’s a damn fine meal, but with drinks the price can rocket up if you aren’t careful. As mentioned it was a special occasion but we managed around £265 between us (including a tip). Was it worth it? The food itself was uniformly very good, with some excellent notes – the cod in particular, but the décor and overly-busy service could be given a fresher makeover. Definitely worth it for a special occasion, but I’d consider other options if you’d been saving up your pennies for an experience. With that said the cooking shines and offers something different from rivals like Roka.

I’ll definitely be back. Maybe when my bonus comes in.

Still hungry? Find all the most delicious places to eat with our best London restaurants section, including this review of Haunt, Stoke Newington.