Isn’t it interesting how, no matter how much and wide our life’s experiences are, one of the primary joys of existence is that we never stop learning.

And recently I have had a few blissfully enlightening revelations.

One is that Nobu Matsuhisa carries an uncanny resemblance to the small statue of Buddha which has accompanied me on my life’s journey since I was in my early twenties. His twinkling eyes and his quiet smile have told me many stories of wisdom.

The other is that fusion food is not just an arbitrary combining of ingredients from disparate cultures in order to prove you’re a creative cook. It’s a carefully thought-through harmonization in order to create a complete and whole dining experience. World famous chef and author Nobu Matsuhisa has created in his multi award winning Nobu restaurants around the world (and now at Sol Kerzner’s newish One & Only hotel at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town) an experience that, when I say it surpasses all notions I had of Japanese cuisine, it actually has opened a new universe to me: one that whispers of South American culinary influences and tastes that dance a dance of, as Nobu says himself, the heart.

Although I have travelled and dined far and wide and have had culinary experiences from the utterly sublime to the downright weird, the professionalism at the One & Only is one of the most superlative I’ve experienced. Head Concierge Chris Noone is known to royalty, heads of state, politicians, superstars and legendary sporting heroes. He has been with Sol Kerzner since being part of the opening team for The Landdrost hotel in downtown Johannesburg in the early 1970s – and is still jaw-droppingly professional: although they hadn’t met in many years, and Noone must meet and know by name literally thousands of people from around the globe, he remembered by name, my husband Graeme whom Noone from The Landdrost.

At Nobu restaurant I met Andrew Milne who, in his early twenties, must be one of the youngest and most professional of his ilk. And charming. And hugely interesting, with a passion for Sake.

Now I know that the Japanese rice wine Sake that arrives in little heated pots at table in obscure so-called Oriental restaurants is done thus to disguise the fact that more often than not what you’re being served is cheap and nasty. As it happens, Sake is a delicate product that can be ruined if warmed. As with a visit to Mexico some years back (when I learned that Tequila comes in many excellent varieties that includes Reposado – the aged version that is enjoyed slowly, like an excellent brandy), my knowledge and enjoyment of sake at Nobu amplified.

In essence, Sake is a Japanese rice wine, the quality of which is hugely influenced by the experience and intuition of the master brewer. The variations are almost endless and redolent with subtle fragrances and flavours, from super dry, to medium bodied, smooth and mild, full bodied and fruity and the incomparable Hokustest Su Ongakushu, a semi-dry smooth Sake aged to the sound of music.

Another lessons learned.

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