Sauce par for the course at Nobu

Nobu is the randiest, sexiest, most lascivious restaurant in London. Barely a week goes by without a report of some high-profile tryst, juicy sexual encounter, libidinous crush or celebrity frottage incident occurring within the chic, blond-wood environs of this critically acclaimed sushi restaurant.

Let's examine the recent evidence, shall we? In January, England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson was spotted at Nobu with his girlfriend Nancy Dell'Olio (both were married when they became lovers).

In the same month, Harrison Ford, who had recently split from his wife, Melissa Mathison, and was apparently going through a raging mid-life crisis, was seen at Nobu with a 'mystery blonde'. Only a matter of days later, J from 5ive (aka Jason Brown) seemed to have recovered sufficiently from his split with Sporty Spice Mel C to extend a Nobu dinner invite to Dani Behr.

On the other side of the New Year, Bush singer Gavin Rossdale had met Andrea Corr at Nobu, Gwyneth Paltrow was snapped snogging an unidentified male in Nobu's 'tunnel of love' (the quiet corridor and staircase between the pavement and restaurant), randy Prince Andy became a regular, Rod Stewart's ex-missus Rachel Hunter was seen with Mark Wahlberg, and Nicole Appleton went on her first public date with Liam Gallagher.

And that's without mentioning Nobu's frequent sexy diners such as Madonna, Christy Turlington, Elle Macpherson, Naomi Campbell, Jude and Sadie... Or one Mr Guy Oseary, Madonna's Maverick Records business partner, who always stays at the Metropolitan Hotel when he visits London and who once ate 14 times at Nobu during a ten-day stay. There must be something in Oseary's dietary theory - he's currently dating Eva Herzigova.

Wonder how they get tables in this fully-booked-for-three-weeks eaterie? Let us tell you a secret. There's a VIP reservations phone line. How sexy is that?

As if all this wasn't enough, in February, the heat in the naughty Nobu kitchen was turned up even higher. After a long and complicated court case involving turkey basters and broom cupboards, Boris Becker admitted that he had indeed come over all unnecessary with Russian model Angela Ermakowa after a meal at Nobu and, during some frenzied lovemaking in a store room adjacent to the restaurant, conceived a child. The case was settled for around £2 million.

This grisly tale didn't seem to put off F1 racing star David Coulthard who quickly became another victim of 'the Nobu Effect'. The News of the World reported how Peter Perfect lookalike David put aside his engagement to Heidi Wichlinski and invited model Ruth Taylor up to his suite for a bubble bath after a meal at - you guessed it - Nobu.

So what is it about this restaurant that prompted one millionaire lothario to nickname it 'knickers-off Nobu'? Well, for a start, Nobu's location has genuine provocative provenance. The area - a spit away from Hyde Park Corner and the Dorchester, once home to Hugh Hefner's Playboy Club - continues to be a sort of Bermuda Triangle of shamelessly venereal venues, namely the sexy, subterranean Trader Vic, the sky-high sexy Windows on the World, the still sexy Met Bar and, if you're really desperate, the colourful Shepherd Market.

But it's not just wannabe Hefs who are crazy for Nobu. Women go all squiffy at the mention of a dinner of sliced black truffles, monkfish p?t? and oscietra caviar garnish for a number of reasons. First, there's the tense, labyrinthine foreplay of securing a table, which furnishes the place with that alluring kudos of being a contemporary unattainable, rather like a Fendi bag or pair of Chlo? sunglasses. Then there's the fact that it is expensive. Really expensive.