Chef Naoyuki Haginoya.
He 13 years ago, when he opened Nomo Grace Restaurant In Barcelona, we knew little or nothing about flambéed niguiris. Nor of uramakis. More than a decade ago around here we were still getting started in Japanese cuisine, the same one that we adore today and in which we have a professional master's degree, the Nome Group was betting heavily on anticipating a trend with the help of the executive chef, Naoyuki Haginoya, trained in izakayas, sushi bars and yakinikus in Tokyo.
"Our menu continues to be a journey through various Japanese cuisines, various styles," he explains. Borja Molina-Martell , one of the founding partners together with his brother, Juan. “And, in the end, Nao has been in Spain for 18 years and has merged with product and with Spanish technique what he had learned from there. We say go to Nomo is an experience in everything: service, premises, dishes, crockery... we try to take care of even the smallest detail”.
Carabinero yakisoba.
In his extensive menu, the flambéed niguiris, butterfish with truffle, edamame continue, things that can already be considered "traditional" in any Japanese restaurant, but also exclusive Haginoya creations that “they can only be eaten at Nomo”, continues Borja. “The ebi chili, for example, which are spicy prawns based on crispy kataifi noodles and a fried egg, is inspired by fried eggs and it is a dish that we end up on the table”.
With six restaurants already in Barcelona and a take-away only service, Grupo Nomo has made the leap to Madrid in this difficult year, although they have been preparing to land for more than a year. "Madrid has always caught our attention, in recent years it was at a gastronomic level and with impressive venues and we wanted to come and add it," says Molina-Martell. “And we believe that our offer has a space in Madrid for our value for money: the idea is that you can eat for 40-50 euros and in that range there are not so many Japanese restaurants”.
Galician cow tataki.
In Madrid they replicate the menu of Barcelona restaurants, but with new features. “In this place Ona Carbonell, the Olympic swimmer who won Master Chef, is a partner and together with our kitchen partner they are creating off-the-menu dishes that we change every three or four months and they will only be in the one in Madrid”, she says. These off-the-chart starters are some razor clams with wakame seaweed, hummus with cañaíllas and rice crackers and some wagyu meatballs based on kataifi noodles with fried egg and truffle.
Those and others off the menu that appear according to the season, have the possibility of entering the menu in the annual change they make to the menu. "We also play with products from the area," explains Borja. "Nao will start with more traditional additions soon." And so it will continue with that Japanese-Spanish fusion that has led to such popular dishes as sukiyaki croquette (Japanese croquette with battered oxtail) or the yaki hotate no foie (grilled scallop skewer with Empordà foie).
Also, the rice in their makis and rolls is from the Ebro Delta, the same rice with which Anthony Campins made in the Pyrenees exclusively for Nomo his own sake. "They've been doing it for us for six months, it's easy, fruity so people can get started," he says.
Eggplant with miso sauce.
Finally, something else differentiates Nomo Braganza from its brothers in Barcelona: the premises. "We always look for unique spaces and choose different interior designers," says Borja. The one on Calle Bárbara de Braganza is a large space divided into two floors where the designer Christina Cirera has played with noble materials, very Japanese, reminiscent of a zen garden, an elegant and welcoming space that, together with Naoyuki's diverse cuisine, aims to make “the customer feels at home and repeats”, they say. “In Barcelona we have clients who come at least once a week. That is the goal.”
Mini salmon and tuna tacos.
Address: Calle Bárbara de Braganza, 8 See map
Telephone: 91 088 75 74
Schedule: Monday to Wednesday from 13:30 to 16:30 and from 20 to 23:30, from Thursday to Saturday until 00.
Half price: €40