Zuma Izakaya restaurant

On our last day of the London trip we decided to have lunch at Zuma. Restaurant Zuma is one of the favourite restaurants of a lot of Belgian top chefs and had been on the to do list for a while. Not easy to get a reservation but luckily the Sunday lunch was still available.

Restaurant Zuma in London’s Knightsbridge area offers a new twist on the traditional Japanese Izakaya places. The ethos behind Zuma is to deliver an authentic flavour of the East while respecting the traditions of the past. The dishes don’t follow for full the traditions and are re-styled. Maybe a simple presentation but the dishes have intense flavours with high quality ingredients.

Zuma is the brainchild of co-founder & creator, Rainer Becker and has today already 7 worldwide locations. London, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Hong Kong, Miami, Istanbul and Bangkok. Zuma New York will open in fall 2014.

There is no set protocol on ordering from the menu and that’s something we really like. Izakaya style means that dishes are made to be shared at the table but can also be ordered individually. The dishes are prepared in 3 separate areas: the principal kitchen, the sushi bar and the Robata grill.

When entering Zuma with his contemporary design you get straight away the vibes from this bustling place. We started with a Tokyo 47 cocktail. One of my favourites gin’s Monkey 47 gin was stirred with barrel aged sake and a saffron, mint & fennel liquor (11,5£). Not really the best choice.

There is a large choice of à la carte dishes from snacks, sashimi & sushi, delicacies from the Robata grill, tempura dishes and several signature dishes. If you have difficulties in choosing, there is also a Zuma tasting Menu ‘signature’ (68£) or premium (118£). We made a selection throughout the menu and sharing was the message.

Sashimi selection with turbot, tuna, salmon & sea bass

Fried Soft shell crab with wasabi mayonnaise (11,8£)

Nigiri sushi selection

Chicken skewer with baby leeks

Black cod, marinated and wrapped in hoba leaf (29,3£)

Lobster roasted with green chilli and garlic hojiso butter (34,8£)

Australian Angus rib eye steak with daikon ponzu (37,8£)

Spicy Beef Tenderloin with sesame, red chilli and sweet soy (24,8£)

Shiitake mushroom skewers with garlic and soy butter (4,8£)

Crunchy strawberry meringue with jasmine sorbet (8,9£)

Milk chocolate tejina with mango sorbet and passion fruit (8,9£)

The service at restaurant Zuma is smooth and not too formal. The Zuma experience was fantastic and definitely worth a re-visit. It’s a bit on the pricey side, but you get a nice experience. A relaxing and trendy atmosphere with fabulous fresh food. Can somebody please open a Zuma restaurant or lookalike in Belgium?

Be-Gusto

Zuma

5 Raphael Street, Knightsbridge, London SW7 1DL, United Kingdom

TEl: +44 20 7584 1010

www.zumarestaurant.com

Open every day

Be-Gusto score: 15/20