LONDON —
After years of criticism from
environmentalists, two top Japanese restaurants in London are now
advising diners to avoid selecting the endangered bluefin tuna—but
have still kept the fish on their menus.
Environmentalists have slammed the compromise, saying the two
restaurants in central London owned by famous Japanese chef, Nobu
Matsuhisa, should take the dish off their menus entirely.
The contradiction was discovered by environmental journalist
Charles Clover who has been researching the demise of fish stocks
and the response from the restaurant industry.
Many eateries in Britain have taken bluefin tuna off their menus,
following pressure from environmental groups.
But several high-end Japanese restaurants in Britain still have it
on their menus and the two Nobu establishments had, until recently,
resisted the pressure to follow the prevailing trend. The
restaurants are popular in London with A-list celebrities.
Clover, who has been preparing a film on the decline of the
Atlantic bluefin tuna, said that he first did some undercover
testing on the tuna served at Nobu to ascertain whether it was
bluefin. The restaurants don’t actually state what kind of tuna is
served, only the cuts, such as toro (the belly).
DNA tests proved it was Atlantic bluefin and then he was able to
secure an interview with one of Nobu’s partners, Richie
Notar.
As a result of this meeting, Nobu agreed to put an asterisk next to
dishes containing bluefin and a warning about its endangered
status.
Under the asterisk it is stated, ‘‘Bluefin tuna is an
environmentally threatened species please ask your server for an
alternative.’’
The asterisk appears on several sushi and sashimi (raw fish) dishes
at Nobu’s restaurant in Berkeley Street, Mayfair.
However, although the warning appears on the menu at its other
London restaurant, no asterisk appears against any of the fish
dishes. The warning has only been put on the menus of the London
restaurants, but crucially the bluefin can still be served if the
customer wants.
Giles Bartlett, from environmental charity World Wide Fund for
Nature, told Kyodo News he was ‘‘surprised’’ by Nobu’s rather
contradictory move.
‘‘We want Nobu to take bluefin off the menu and replace it with a
sustainable alternative, such as albacore or big eye. We feel that
such high-class establishments should be setting the best
environmental precedent,’’ he said.
Environmentalists have for many years urged the world to reduce its
consumption of bluefin tuna due to dwindling stocks which are not
being replenished due to over-fishing, particularly in the
Mediterranean.
The bluefin tuna from Europe is much prized by Japanese who like
its fatty quality and have traditionally eaten the fish raw.
Due to the popularity of Japanese cuisine in Europe, more people
have become aware of the status of bluefin and have put pressure on
restaurants to take it off their menus. A few years ago, British
celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay bowed to environmental pressure, and
now many consumers now opt for yellowfin tuna or more sustainable
alternatives.
No one from Nobu in London was available for comment despite
several requests for comment.
Matsuhisa, who was born in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, has over 24
restaurants in 20 countries and opened his first outlet in the
United States with the help of actor Robert de Niro. He opened his
first London restaurant in 1994 and his cooking, which is a fusion
of Japanese and South American styles, has picked up several
awards, including coveted Michelin stars.