Lunch at Zuma
With all this seriously impressive sushi making going on, I realized that I forgot to tell you about our lunch at Zuma on the weekend.
I kept trying to get reservations but G and I are last minute people; we hate to be tied down to a schedule and generally prefer to go out for dinner when the whim strikes us. And every time I called (usually the same day) they were always full.
Yeah, I know our methods don't really work if you want to go to a popular restaurant.
But what can you do.
So we settled for a lunch reservation last weekend and made sure to eat light the night before so we'd be in top form for this much anticipated meal.
We had no agenda, it was the first sunny Saturday in what seemed like forever, so we ordered a bottle of wine. (I did say the sun is worth celebrating, right?) It was some French number that had 4 different kinds of grapes in it (including Chardonnay) that we liked so much G pulled out his camera phone and snapped a pic of the label.
The decor in Zuma is nice, the way you'd expect an upscale sushi place to be. Soft lighting, with minimal but warm decor. We were surprised at how many families with children there were, including one yummy mummy in some seriously fierce Louboutins. I contemplated how one manages a 3 year old in a pair of those, but perhaps that is just a skill that some women master for the sake of fashion.
Nonetheless with our wine chilling in an ice bucket at the side of our table, we tuned it all out (except for my repeated glances at those shoes)..
So on to the food.
We ordered number of small dishes from the menu and of course some sushi. Dishes were brought out one at a time, with a bit of overlap so that we were never sitting there waiting for the next one. In the order it arrived, we had:
*Spicy fried tofu with avocado salad and japanese herbs.
*Chilled soba noodle and lobster salad
*Tuna tartare with miso, myoga and lotus root crisps.
*A sushi plate consisting of a dynamite spider roll (softshell crab, chili mayonnaise, cucumber and wasabi) and the spicy tuna roll (tuna, homemade chili miso and yuzy tobiko)
Believe it or not, after all that, we still had a wee bit of room in our bellies for some more so we both chose one more item from the menu. I opted for the crispy fried squid with green chili and garlic (aka calamari) and G went for the california roll.
For dessert:
I had the green tea and banana cake with coconut ice cream and peanut toffee sauce.
And G chose the lemon croquettes with a rhubarb compote and ice cream, but we forget what kind.
Let me just tell you. It has been a long while since G and I have had a stellar sushi meal. Sure, we have our favourites--the quick no-frills kind of places that you can just walk into on most nights. But every now and then you want to step it up a bit you know?
We were thrilled with the whole Zuma experience. The food, the wine, the service. The tofu dish was stellar, and the lobster salad was fresh and lively. My least favourite dish was the tuna tartare. Although it was good, I thought the dressing overwhelmed the tuna a bit. G on the other hand raved about it. So there you go.
The sushi was well done, although our spider roll wasn't as hot and crispy as we tend to like it, but the pieces were not so overly sized that I risked choking myself to death. The spicy tuna roll and the california roll were also nicely done.
And we both agreed we had never had better calamari. Perfectly seasoned and salted, my mouth waters just thinking about it.
As for dessert, my green tea and banana cake was to die for. With the toffee and the ice cream, all I can say is oy. I didn't even pay attention to G's dessert but he seemed to like it.
We lingered there for over 2 hours by which point all the kids had left and we were both a bit tipsy and a lot happy.
A perfect date, no?
Yeah, well, then we went to see Die Hard 4.
Sometimes, you wonder if they don't just take you out for a nice lunch so that you'll let them pick the movie.
You know what I'm saying, girls?
I think you do.
ZUMA
5 Raphael Street
Knightsbridge
London, SW7 1DL
Tube: Knightsbridge
Note: the online menu does not even cover half of what is actually on offer at the restaurant. And apparently reservations are not needed if you want to sit at the sushi bar, which actually looked kind of fun.
I kept trying to get reservations but G and I are last minute people; we hate to be tied down to a schedule and generally prefer to go out for dinner when the whim strikes us. And every time I called (usually the same day) they were always full.
Yeah, I know our methods don't really work if you want to go to a popular restaurant.
But what can you do.
So we settled for a lunch reservation last weekend and made sure to eat light the night before so we'd be in top form for this much anticipated meal.
We had no agenda, it was the first sunny Saturday in what seemed like forever, so we ordered a bottle of wine. (I did say the sun is worth celebrating, right?) It was some French number that had 4 different kinds of grapes in it (including Chardonnay) that we liked so much G pulled out his camera phone and snapped a pic of the label.
The decor in Zuma is nice, the way you'd expect an upscale sushi place to be. Soft lighting, with minimal but warm decor. We were surprised at how many families with children there were, including one yummy mummy in some seriously fierce Louboutins. I contemplated how one manages a 3 year old in a pair of those, but perhaps that is just a skill that some women master for the sake of fashion.
Nonetheless with our wine chilling in an ice bucket at the side of our table, we tuned it all out (except for my repeated glances at those shoes)..
So on to the food.
We ordered number of small dishes from the menu and of course some sushi. Dishes were brought out one at a time, with a bit of overlap so that we were never sitting there waiting for the next one. In the order it arrived, we had:
*Spicy fried tofu with avocado salad and japanese herbs.
*Chilled soba noodle and lobster salad
*Tuna tartare with miso, myoga and lotus root crisps.
*A sushi plate consisting of a dynamite spider roll (softshell crab, chili mayonnaise, cucumber and wasabi) and the spicy tuna roll (tuna, homemade chili miso and yuzy tobiko)
Believe it or not, after all that, we still had a wee bit of room in our bellies for some more so we both chose one more item from the menu. I opted for the crispy fried squid with green chili and garlic (aka calamari) and G went for the california roll.
For dessert:
I had the green tea and banana cake with coconut ice cream and peanut toffee sauce.
And G chose the lemon croquettes with a rhubarb compote and ice cream, but we forget what kind.
Let me just tell you. It has been a long while since G and I have had a stellar sushi meal. Sure, we have our favourites--the quick no-frills kind of places that you can just walk into on most nights. But every now and then you want to step it up a bit you know?
We were thrilled with the whole Zuma experience. The food, the wine, the service. The tofu dish was stellar, and the lobster salad was fresh and lively. My least favourite dish was the tuna tartare. Although it was good, I thought the dressing overwhelmed the tuna a bit. G on the other hand raved about it. So there you go.
The sushi was well done, although our spider roll wasn't as hot and crispy as we tend to like it, but the pieces were not so overly sized that I risked choking myself to death. The spicy tuna roll and the california roll were also nicely done.
And we both agreed we had never had better calamari. Perfectly seasoned and salted, my mouth waters just thinking about it.
As for dessert, my green tea and banana cake was to die for. With the toffee and the ice cream, all I can say is oy. I didn't even pay attention to G's dessert but he seemed to like it.
We lingered there for over 2 hours by which point all the kids had left and we were both a bit tipsy and a lot happy.
A perfect date, no?
Yeah, well, then we went to see Die Hard 4.
Sometimes, you wonder if they don't just take you out for a nice lunch so that you'll let them pick the movie.
You know what I'm saying, girls?
I think you do.
ZUMA
5 Raphael Street
Knightsbridge
London, SW7 1DL
Tube: Knightsbridge
Note: the online menu does not even cover half of what is actually on offer at the restaurant. And apparently reservations are not needed if you want to sit at the sushi bar, which actually looked kind of fun.
Labels: london, London restaurants
posted by Michèle at 7:30 AM
9 Comments:
ooh another great place to add to my list :) no photos of your meal? or was this before you got the camera? just curious...
"...we hate to be tied down..."
Well, that's no fun.
Some honeymoon that's going to be!
K&S, oh god no, I wouldn't bring my big old camera into a restaurant let alone on a date with my man! Sometimes you just need to enjoy the meal you know? Plus, G hates it, so that's another reason I don't do it. I think I only ever did it once and that was because my friend and I were the only ones in the restaurant at the time.
David, well unless you're talking about pink furry handcuffs..
You mean to tell me there is actually GOOD Japanese food in this country? Gasp... I'm coming to London!
Seriously, your meal sounds amazing. I just have to ask, since there are no prices listed on zuma's website - does it require a second mortgage? (not that we even have a first mortgage, but ahem...)
And I'm truly sorry about Die Hard, but look at the bright side, at least you got lunch out of it! My man, on the other hand, is the type to make me pay for lunch and STILL insist on picking the movie...
My mouth is watering just reading about it!
Sounds definitely worth a Die Hard movie, if you ask me (and if you feel an urge to bop over to Seattle, I'd do my best to come close to Zuma:-)
Melissa, well don't forget that in the last 3 years I have lived in Sheffield, Heidelberg, and Paris--so yes I think London is heaven when it comes to ethnic food! The prices vary--you can spend alot if you want but you can also keep it fairly reasonable. We added a good chunk to our bill by splurging on wine, but the individual dishes themselves are not outrageously priced. I think the most expensive dish we ordered was 13£ (the lobster salad if I remember correctly).
Tea, if you could make me a soba noodle and lobster salad like the one at Zuma I would be there in a heartbeat. Although it might be cheaper just to go to Zuma, but you get my point ;) But if ever I do come to Seattle, we seriously have to have a sushi rolling party, ok?
goood, this sounds soooo goood. Keep exploring London, girl. I will be there before you can say porridge : )
I guess my husband is used to me taking out my camera, so he's always like, "can I eat now?" :)
Ales, I can't wait!
K&S, your hubby is far more patient than mine ;) Actually the only other time I have done it is when I am out with other bloggers, because then I feel like I blend in a bit better!
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