Whilst the very top end of high society in London is private members' clubs, exclusive boutiques and money spent on frivolities faster than most of us earn it, celebrity high society is that little bit more within the reach of us mere mortals. A few years ago the wife and I got a taste of the London celebrity diet by dining at Nobu, which neither of us particularly enjoyed.
Zuma is an entirely similar proposition to Nobu in that it is in a trendy part of town, adored by the moneyed masses and generally considered to be rather good. It's hidden away in the back streets between Brompton Road and Kensington Road, making it hard enough to find that it's exclusive and suitably trendy. I was hurried to Zuma by the wife, who was joining some friends, one of whom's mother had come to visit London. Given the short notice I had to get presentable and get out of the house, I was a little late.
Five of us ate during the evening but by the time I arrived, cold seafood was at the table already. The sashimi was extravagantly served on a bowl of ice and if the effect was to wow us in some vacuous, vaguely high society sort of way, it failed (left). What it did do was impress us with sheer freshness, a mixture of crisp coolness and smooth silken fish flesh and quality that just can't be ignored. Some of the best I've eaten without question.
The sushi was a similar story (right). My personal pick was the eel, leaving sweet, rich fishy saltiness on the palate, a bolder flavour than the salmon and the uni (sea urchin). That said, I am still no sushi buff so I was pleased enough. Again, this was food at the very top end of my experience.
We also ordered a dish which the place is famous for (so I was told). Seared scallops with uni and black sesame did not appeal much to me since it sounded like a waste of perfectly good scallops. However, the seafood itself was something else (left). It was honestly like nothing I have tasted before. Sweet, salty topping on lightly cooked scallops is nothing to sniff at, especially when they are cooked so well.
No visit to a Japanese restaurant is complete without some tempura (right). In this case, it was predictably sweet, fresh, crispy and expertly-cooked. One thing I cannot abide is under-cooked vegetables inside decent batter. It seems to be an ever more common occurrence with simple Japanese food and I was pleased that somewhere pulling the full-pocketed punters in could still get the basics right.
The wife was delighted with the final order of the evening: some wagyu beef (left). This was a prime cut of the world famous Japanese meat served with a simple citrus sauce and some spicy oil. In reality, all that was needed was a little seasoning because the beef was cooked perfectly and the texture was delightfully soft and subtle. For some of the most expensive beef I have eaten it was not quite the best but not far off. It was certainly a very easy eat; a very tender and lean piece of meat.As a meal out, it was certainly one of the more high society events I enjoyed in 2012 and one of the more memorable to boot. One thing I can say about Zuma is that it is not cheap. These are Nobu prices alright and we were very lucky in this case that our generous hosts paid the bill. It was priced more or less how an extremely top-end Knightsbridge Japanese restaurant should be, including a 15% service charge on top.
But, if you have the spare money, Zuma is definitely worth a visit. Certainly the best high-end Japanese food I have eaten and somewhere which demands the attention of normal diners as well as the high society celebrity culture it is most recognisable with. And it's much better than Nobu.
Zuma
No comments:
Post a Comment