29-03-2016
The Rib eye steak with wafu sauce and garlic crisps, here in the photo by John Carey, is one of Rainer Becker’s signature dishes, which of course he also offers at the Zuma restaurant he’s just opened in Rome
Zuma, wherever in the world, it’s intelligent luxury, light elegance and pleasure for the palate. The first dates back to 2002 in London, Rainer Becker with associate Arjun Waney, a chef able to adopt a culinary tradition, that of Japan, which didn’t belong to him, being German, and an excellent entrepreneur capable of seeing the future in a project beyond the simple investment. Starting from the certainty that location is crucial, they combed through the exclusive Mayfair in London and found a dwelling in the equally rich Knightsbridge, at 5 Raphael Street.
«The truth is, even though Zuma, but Roka too, are Japanese restaurants, it is my Japanese cuisine, the one I like. There’s respect for raw materials, for service, but in the end it all starts from a barbecue without the formalism the Michelin Guide holds dear», says Rainer who when speaking of BBQ is referring to robatayaki cuisine, where robata is the grill, a typical version from the fishermen in the northern islands, unknown in Europe until 2002 when it debuted inside Zuma London.
This is certainly not a photo by John Carey, it was taken by Paolo Marchi, author of the piece, who wanted to capture the amazing Chicken wings with sake and lime
I believe the latter chose the informality connected with izakaya for the very reason of surprising, without giving points of reference, robata, sushi bar, the kitchen for signature dishes such as the spicy rib eye steak, a dreamy table for 8 inside the cellar, an astonishing list of sake, an entire floor just for cocktails, a smiling staff but always precise like clockwork. Those who work at Zuma receive a thick book saying all they must and must not do. You don’t like it? See you, no hard feelings.
Another photo by John Carey, this time capturing the beautiful elegance of the sushi presented at Zuma in Rome and in the world
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born in Milan in March 1955, at Il Giornale for 31 years dividing himself between sports and food, since 2004 he's the creator and curator of Identità Golose. blog www.paolomarchi.it instagram instagram.com/oloapmarchi