Nobu Bar is the stylishly sultry watering hole within the Nobu Hotel Portman Square, the iconic hospitality group's Marylebone location. Starting with the design, Nobu Bar is a seamless blend of rich tones, luxurious fabrics and atmospheric lighting making it very much a night-time venue. It is designed by London-based David Collins Studio who are renowned for hotel and restaurant design in the city, having created the aesthetic for the likes of the Harrods Chocolate Hall and The Wolseley.
The studio's aim was to create a closeted enclave nodding to typical intimacy you would expect from a cocktail bar and ensuring that this space felt very different from the rest of the hotel which has a lighter, more minimalist feel. Inspired by Japanese indigo dye, the room is saturated with this inky colour, alongside smart, dark wooden furniture.
The bar's concept hinges on an Izakaya experience which is treasured in Japanese culture. The word means to linger over your drink, feel relaxed and comfortable and enjoy good conversation. Each cocktail has been designed to tell a part of founder Nobu Matsuhisa's story, more of which is explained through the illustrated world map, earmarking the cities and countries he has called home.
The Saitama Lees cocktail, for example, mixes Roku gin, lemon and lime juice, salted sake lees syrup, spirulina, cocoa nib soda and 'miraculous foamer' for a long, chilled drink that represents Nobu's birthplace of Saitama. This drink is a homage to the sake culture and is based on a gin fizz, which is very popular in Japan.
There is also a sake and wine list which features rare sakes and even one that is exclusive to Nobu entirely. You'll also find a selection of Champagne, as well as wines sourced from across Europe, especially France and Italy. And, if you get peckish, be sure to dig into the bar snacks which span scallop filo with creamy amarillo and caviar, black cod butter lettuce cups and wagyu sliders.