Venice has always belonged to travellers. For centuries, its beauty has been shaped by what arrived from elsewhere, spices, silks, pigments, ideas carried across oceans and folded into the fabric of the city. So there is something almost inevitable about Matsuhisa opening at the Airelles Palladio, on Giudecca, where Chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s Japanese roots and Peruvian influences meet a city that has always understood the poetry of cultural exchange.
The setting immediately changes the tempo. Across the lagoon from the grandeur and movement of San Marco, Airelles Palladio occupies a collection of historic buildings surrounded by nearly a hectare of Mediterranean gardens. Here, Venice feels softer. Matsuhisa is tucked into a wing of the 16th-century Palladio, its covered terrace opening onto this private green world, where dinner begins beneath fading Venetian light and continues as the garden gradually slips into shadow.
It is an atmosphere that suits Nobu’s cuisine, which has always been
defined as much by movement as by technique. Japanese precision meets
the brightness and heat of Peru: citrus against pristine fish, chilli
cutting through richness, miso bringing depth and sweetness. The menu
reads like a journey told in textures and temperatures.
The meal
might begin with something almost translucent, a slice of yellowtail,
cool and silken, lifted by the green heat of jalapeño; perhaps crudo or
sashimi, where restraint is the point and freshness does most of the
talking. Then the rhythm changes. Tempura brings delicate crunch, salads
add freshness, and warmer dishes begin to deepen the experience. The
progression is subtle but deliberate: raw to cooked, light to rich,
crisp to yielding.
And then comes the black cod. One of Matsuhisa’s defining signatures, it arrives glossy with miso, the flesh collapsing effortlessly beneath the fork. Sweet, savoury and deeply comforting, it feels almost decadent after the clarity of the earlier courses. King crab with creamy spicy sauce follows in the same spirit of controlled indulgence, while the Omakase experience hands the evening over entirely to the kitchen, allowing one course to lead naturally into the next. Black cod, king crab, crudo, sashimi and tempura sit at the heart of the restaurant’s repertoire, accompanied by a refined selection of sake and cocktails.
The hotel surrounding the restaurant deserves its own moment. Airelles Palladio is the French collection’s first property outside France, spread across three historic 16th-century buildings and the restored Santa Maria della Presentazione Church, with just 45 rooms and suites. Under the direction of architect and artistic director Christophe Tollemer, the interiors combine French refinement with unmistakably Venetian craftsmanship: terrazzo and marble floors, Fortuny chandeliers, Murano glass, Rubelli wall coverings, antique furniture and a collection of some 3,000 artworks and books. The palette moves through amber, mahogany, deep blue and warm neutrals, echoing the tones of Venice without ever resorting to pastiche.
Matsuhisa remains a compelling expression of Palladio’s sense of place precisely because it does not attempt to imitate Venice. Instead, it mirrors the city’s deeper character: outward-looking, cosmopolitan, shaped by encounters. By the end of dinner, San Marco is still only a short boat ride away, but from the terrace it feels wonderfully distant. For a restaurant born from journeys, Matsuhisa could hardly have chosen a more fitting shore.