That fabulous fungus!

CONTEMPORARY Japanese restaurant Zuma is waving goodbye to the old year and welcoming the new with a range of special dishes enhanced by an ingredient more often associated with fine French fare than Asian cuisine – the black truffle.

Until January 19, gourmets are invited to savour an array of delectable Japanese dishes with a distinct modern twist created and prepared by head chef Satoshi Onuki, all of them with the sensual and aromatic taste of fresh black truffle. 

“This is the first time that Zuma is serving fresh truffle with the food,” says Onuki with pride. “I chose to use truffle for our special festive menu not just because of the novelty factor but because the rare tuber is luxurious and delicious, which makes it perfect for Christmas and New Year celebration. I want our customers to enjoy a holiday meal that they’ll remember with pleasure.”

The star of the menu is A4 wagyu rib eye with black truffle (Bt8,000). The 300 grams of second best grade wagyu beef from Nagasaki Prefecture is char-grilled to medium rare with no added seasoning, then sliced into bite-sized pieces for convenient munching. To preserve the smokiness from the grilled, the beef is served on a sizeable smoked hoba (gold teak) leaf along side condiments such as sea salt, salt with green tea, Hawaiian black salt, butter and lime sauce sprinkled with fresh black truffle and fresh wasabi. While the beef is tender and tasty enough on its own, the addition of tangy lime sauce and a touch of wasabi round out each mouthful.

Most restaurants put just a pinch of black truffle “dust” in their dishes to make them special – on the basis that a little goes a long way – but chef Onuki goes an extra yard and puts the chunky, shaved mushroom on his beef platter to add a powerful, earthy aroma. 

The Japanese-style risotto (Bt850) that also appears on the regular menu gets a black truffle mark up too. The plump rice is cooked with stock till al dente and is served with assorted Japanese mushrooms and chunks of fresh black truffle imported from Italy making this dish totally decadent and addictive.

For something more Japanese, there’s various fatty otoro topped with fresh uni and lime butter (B1,380). The creaminess of the fish and the sea urchin is enhanced with a tangy sauce and shredded daikon. For a spicier option, order the scallop maki with yuzu kosho and tempura flakes (B580). Again, the pleasant marriage of the spiciness, the crunch of the tempura and the tender scallop will send your taste buds to heaven.

Another interesting dish is roasted lobster with lime butter (Bt1,980). The fresh Boston lobster is grilled, then slathered with butter and savoury herbal sauce. Add a squeeze of lemon for an extra tang if you like but it’s delicious without.

And do save some room for dessert. Recommended is the yuzu lime pie with yoghurt ice cream (Bt270), a perfect love affair between sweet, sour and creaminess. If you come with a big group or simply can’t decide what to have for dessert, opt for a dessert platter (Bt890). The stunning ice bowl offers a sinfully sweet selection of chocolate strawberry cream, yuzu granita, yoghurt ice cream and Zuma ice cream.

 

 

TASTY TEMPTATIONS

>>Zuma is located at ground level of the St Regis Bangkok, adjacent to Rajdamri BTS station. It is open daily for lunch from noon till 3pm, and dinner from 6pm till midnight. 

>>The festive menu is available till January 19. 

>>Reserve a table at (02) 252 4707 or visit www.ZumaRestaurant.com.