By FLORENCE FABRICANT 

Robert De Niro's latest production, Nobu, opened last night in TriBeCa -- with sashimi instead of a screenplay.

Nobu, the New York spinoff of the popular Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills, Calif., the highly personalized Japanese restaurant owned by Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, where Mr. De Niro has long been a customer, is at 105 Hudson Street, near Franklin Street, just down the block from Mr. De Niro's film company and his other New York restaurant, TriBeCa Grill.

Typical of Mr. Matsuhisa's eclectic food are dishes like monkfish pate with caviar; spicy octopus salad; shrimp tempura hand roll, and squid pasta -- tender strips of squid mingled with asparagus in a buttery garlic and soy sauce. He devised his new-style sashimi, drizzled with warm olive oil, to appeal to customers who were squeamish about raw fish.

In Beverly Hills, celebrities like Larry Gelbart, Madonna, Michael Douglas, Gene Wilder and, of course, Mr. De Niro, demand seats at the sushi bar so that they can watch Mr. Matsuhisa in action. Imelda Marcos takes off her highly publicized shoes to entertain friends in the understated private dining room upstairs.

Nobu in New York has similar food but is hardly a storefront like Matsuhisa. Mr. De Niro was on hand about two weeks ago to survey the then-not-quite-finished restaurant. To open Nobu, he has linked up with his TriBeCa Grill partners, Drew Nieporent, a restaurateur, and Meir Tepper, a film producer and entrepreneur.

Mr. De Niro likened the cost of the 70-seat restaurant, designed by David Rockwell of the Rockwell Group, to making a film. "A B-movie," he said. "A low-grade B-movie."

Some of the handcrafted details, like the copper leaf ceiling, the birch twig screens, and $50 plates designed by a 75-year-old master craftsman in Japan, have put Nobu in the big-budget category. Mr. Rockwell said it cost about $1 million to build the space. Mr. Matsuhisa has hired a team of four sushi chefs, led by Shin Tsujimura, who was formerly at Hatsuhana in midtown Manhattan.

After spending about a month in New York to get things rolling, Mr. Matsuhisa will begin a regular bicoastal commute every few weeks. He is looking for an apartment in New York. His wife, Yoko, works with him in the Beverly Hills restaurant. His daughters, Junko, 19, and Yoshiko, 18, are going to school in Japan.

Although Mr. Matsuhisa's training included the rigorous traditional discipline required to become a sushi chef in Japan, his career has followed an unusual trajectory, taking him from his native Tokyo to Peru, Argentina, Alaska and Los Angeles. His food reflects the places he has worked, making it the virtual definition of stylish Pacific Rim.

"I plan to serve the same food, my food, in New York," Mr. Matsuhisa said. "But I also want to see what New Yorkers like and want. I can learn from my customers."

His openness and willingness to adapt distinguish not just his food but his life. A son of an architect, Mr. Matsuhisa, 45, said that while he was in his teens, he became fascinated with sushi and decided to train to become a chef. "In my family they're all architects, all my brothers and uncles," he said. "I'm the only chef."

After an apprenticeship that led to a job in a Tokyo sushi restaurant, he was invited by a customer to become the chef and a partner in a restaurant in Lima, Peru, in the early 1970's.

"Peru is a No. 1 country for fish," he said. But eventually he wound up disagreeing with his partner, and after three years he sold out. When a friend told him of a Japanese restaurant in Buenos Aires that needed a sushi chef, he began packing his bags.

That job lasted only a year. "In Argentina they mostly eat meat, and the fish is not as good," he said. He returned to Tokyo in 1976 only to feel like an outsider. "I was so spoiled by the life in foreign countries," he said. "I had a big house in Lima, but in Japan nothing seemed to fit for me now. I wanted more room."

He and his family spent 10 months in Japan before moving to Anchorage, where he was a partner in the restaurant, Kioi. On Thanksgiving Day in 1977, 50 days after the opening and his first day off, an electrical fire destroyed the restaurant. "That was my worst memory," he said. "I lost my money, my esteem."

He borrowed money to send his wife and children back to her family in Japan, and he found a job in West Los Angeles at Mitsuwa. "The owner made me work hard but taught me how to be American," he said. Mr. Matsuhisa sent for his family, and within two years he had his green card. Then, in 1980, he began working at O Sho Sushi in Beverly Hills. "That is where I found the roots of my style," he said.

"I was allowed to try my personal ideas, some of the South American ideas," he said. Among these were ceviche and green mussels dressed with chili-spiked salsa, dishes that still enliven the menu at Matsuhisa and that New Yorkers can begin to taste at Nobu.

In 1987, he found a backer and opened his small restaurant, with a long sushi bar and basic black lacquer furnishings. It now has a vast menu, augmented by a blackboard of daily specials. Many regulars ignore these listings altogether, preferring to let Mr. Matsuhisa take charge.

In New York, prices start at $2 for a piece of sushi, with entrees from $10 to $18. Tasting menus start at $50.

Mr. Matsuhisa said he has ideas that are "already flowing out." For example, he is using melokhia, a leafy Egyptian vegetable similar to spinach, and has found a grower in New Jersey. "I want to start using Thai spices, and I'm trying to come up with a New York roll," he said.

Mr. Matsuhisa said he was not nervous about coming to New York. Actually, he is more concerned about his small speaking part in Mr. De Niro's forthcoming movie "Casino."

Green Mussels With Salsa Total time: 20 minutes

12 large New Zealand mussels 1/2 cup dry white wine or water 1/4cup finely chopped onion 3 tablespoons minced parsley 1 clove garlic, minced 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger 1 teaspoon Chinese chili paste 1/4 cup rice vinegar 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 tablespoon light soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon chili oil.

1. Scrub and debeard the mussels. Place the wine or water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, add the mussels and cover. Reduce the heat to medium and steam the mussels about 10 minutes, until they open.

2. Meanwhile, make the salsa. Mix the onion, parsley, garlic and ginger together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, dissolve the chili paste in the vinegar. Beat in the vegetable oil, soy sauce and chili oil. Stir these ingredients into the onion mixture. Set aside.

3. When the mussels open, remove them from the pan. Pull one shell off each mussel and discard it, leaving the mussel in the other shell. Using a small knife, release each mussels so it is not attached to the shell.

4. Spoon about a tablespoon of the salsa on top of each mussel. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Yield: 4 servings.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 105 calories, 5 grams fat, 35 milligrams cholesterol, 325 milligrams sodium, 10 grams protein, 5 grams carbohydrate.

Spicy Octopus Salad Total time: 1 1/2 hours plus chilling and marinating time 1 small octopus (about 1 pound), thawed (if frozen) and cleaned Salt to taste 1/3 cup chopped scallions 2 ounces enoki mushrooms 2 tablespoons minced ginger 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 tablespoon Chinese chili paste, or more to taste 2 tablespoons light soy sauce 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 3 tablespoons yuzu juice (a citrus juice sold in Japanese stores), or lemon juice 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon chili oil Black pepper to taste.

1. Place the cleaned octopus in a pot of well-salted water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 1 hour, until quite tender. Allow to cool in the water, then drain well and refrigerate until cold, several hours or overnight.

2. When the octopus has cooled thoroughly, cut the tentacles into 3/4-inch pieces on a diagonal, and place in a bowl. Add the scallions, enoki mushrooms, ginger and garlic.

3. Mix the chili paste with the soy sauce, vinegar and yuzu juice. Beat in the oils. Pour over the octopus, and toss gently. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and allow to marinate at least 1 hour. Before serving, taste for seasoning and add more chili paste or salt and pepper if desired.

Yield: 4 servings.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 185 calories, 9 grams fat, 54 milligrams cholesterol, 540 milligrams sodium (before optional salting), 20 grams protein, 7 grams carbohydrate.

Copyright 1994 The New York Times Company