Is it right to compare these two? Not being a food connoisseur I would guess they're on the same level. Japanese fusion bougie style. Nobu's atmosphere is quite simplistic with artlike tree's. It's very modern but smaller than I would have imagined. Shockingly, Nobu had disposible chopsticks that you break apart - this seemed very much out of place. Maybe the supplies manager screwed up. Buddakan was sort of Victorian, sort of baroque-ish. The main dining room had high ceilings, one long table in the middle and large chandeliers. I felt like I should have worn my ball gown to greet the queen and king at either ends of the table. Then we got led to the side dining room where it was very dark. The walls were lined with shelves with offensive plastic gold books. Simplicity would have really rectified this issue of tackiness. Simply, i think the restaurant was a bit overdone and bordering on gaudy.
The food was good at both restaurants but Nobu exhibits thier dinner where as Buddakan feeds you. They both consisted of small tapa-esk dishes to share. Nobu took our 5 dishes and seemingly arranged them in a deliberate sequence - one dish at a time. One taste at a time. One focus at a time. Service was impeccable, as soon as one dish was done, the next would be passing through the kitchen doors. At Buddakan, the server mentioned that the dishes would come out as they were ready. We got our 3 appetizers basically at once, so we jumped from one plate to another. All tastes blending with each other. Note: Edamame dumplings are an explosion of mush in your mouth. The consistency was surprisingly unpleasant.
Overall, I would reccomend Nobu over Buddakan. but just because I'm spoiled, dont let it stop you from going to Buddahkan - their food was pretty amazing.
