News flash. Nobu Waikiki will remain open.

Rumors that the nearly brand new Nobu Waikiki restaurant would close were swirling in late October and despite the restaurant's denials, continued to circulate.

Local management was not authorized to speak to your columnist on the record for the last few weeks, but there was a development late Monday.

“;We don't know where the rumor that Nobu Waikiki is 'closing' started, but it is completely false,”; said Richard Notar, managing partner of Nobu Restaurants, in a statement released to news organizations.

“;We're very happy to be in Waikiki and looking forward to a great holiday season and a prosperous 2009,”; he said.

The restaurant opened in May 2007 to oohs and aahs, given its nomenclature from celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa and a backer in Hollywood star Robert De Niro.

Nobu is participating in this week's Restaurant Week Hawaii, aimed at raising $250,000 for the Culinary Institute of the Pacific, as reported here in July.

The four dozen restaurants range from Alan Wong's and Aloha Salads to Yanagi Sushi and Zippy's. Each is offering a discount or deal and proceeds will help build a culinary academy at the old Cannon Club on Diamond Head.

Chef's Chu's soup

A mushroom soup recipe by Glenn Chu, chef-owner of Indigo restaurant, is in Shape magazine online.

Lest you get a visual of nearly gray glop from a can, his recipe is for lemongrass mushroom soup—not condensed or creamy, but light “;and really easy to make,”; Chu told TheBuzz.

His picture of the soup appears online.

The magazine says the recipe is “;adapted”; from Indigo, but not because they had to lighten it up or make any changes. It is his recipe, he confirmed, adapted “;to scale,”; since most home cooks don't need to whip up enough for dozens of diners in a restaurant in Chinatown.

An official from the Oahu Visitors Bureau encouraged Chu to submit the recipe, which he did “;quite a while ago,”; he said.

The restaurant is in its 16th year and after five years without a lease, “;we're almost there,”; on a new, 10-year agreement. The new paint in the main dining room is done “;and it's really sexy,”; Chu said.

Separately, Chu's cookbook, not just a compilation of recipes but a look at his philosophies on food and life, is in the works in Amsterdam. Among those working on the book is Joyce Huisman, who has authored cookbooks from Michelin-starred restaurants. “;I'm so pleased that she wants to do this book with me,”; he said. The working title is “;Indigo”; and it may be out this summer.