As a young boy growing up in Hokkaido, Japan, Nozumu Abe (‘Noz’ to his friends) told his family that his dream job was to be a pizza chef. That early fantasy, however, was gradually eroded by regular exposure to ingredients such as uni, salmon roe, and king crab, sold by his grandfather’s seafood company. So, it was probably no surprise to anyone that Abe ended up dedicating his culinary career to the art of sushi. After several years as an apprentice in Sapporo, Hokkaido’s largest city, Abe moved to Tokyo, home of the ancient Edomae style of sushi. Here he honed his skills further, spending years learning from local master chefs.
In 2007 he moved to New York City, where for three years he ran the legendary Sushiden, long considered one of the best sushi restaurants in the US. It would be several more years before Abe could fulfil his dream of introducing US diners to his personal variety of sushi. But finally in 2018, with the help of his business partners, the brothers David and Joshua Foulquier, he opened Sushi Noz on the city’s Upper East Side.
Restaurants
Sushi Noz transports diners to another space and time, where they can taste, feel, and breathe the most refined Japanese tradition. This is achieved through meticulous attention to detail in every aspect of the dining experience, from the food to the service to the restaurant’s beautiful, temple-like interior, made of precious Japanese woods.
Sushi Noz won its first Michelin star in 2019, receiving many highly positive reviews the same year, for example in Eater and New York Magazine, the latter naming it the Absolute Best Sushi in New York. In 2021, Opinionated About Dining placed Sushi Noz in ninth place in its list of the Top 150 North American Restaurants and first among sushi restaurants. Then, in the 2023 edition of the Michelin Guide, Sushi Noz received two stars for the first time.
Building on its success, Abe and his partners have expanded the Sushi Noz universe with Noz Market, a seafood and sushi market and full-service restaurant in the Upper East Side; the intimate seven-seat Noz 17 in Chelsea; Sushi Noz LA, which opened in Los Angeles’ Century City neighborhood in 2023; and Noz Honten, an online store selling artisanal merchandise from homeware to furniture to clothing.
Recipes and dishes
Sushi Noz is an omakase-style sushi restaurant. That means that rather than ordering à la carte, diners entrust the chef to choose for them, with the expectation that he will offer them the finest possible culinary experience using the best ingredients available. In the case of Sushi Noz, this is achieved through an Edomae-style tasting menu comprising numerous courses, from appetizers to nigiri, soup, and dessert. It begins with five or six small seasonal fish and vegetable dishes known as otsumami, before proceeding with 12 to 14 courses of nigiri, the heart of the restaurant’s offering. These are accompanied by further courses such as miso soup, tamago (Japanese omelet), and dessert.
At Sushi Noz, certain special techniques are used to maximize the flavor of the ingredients, for example aging the fish in traditional Edomae style and employing ice block refrigeration to sustain a higher temperature and moisture level.
Although Abe has yet to make an appearance on any television shows, online magazines Eater and Tasty began publishing videos of Sushi Noz soon after it opened in 2018, receiving millions of views and helping to raise the restaurant’s profile considerably.
