Review

Chef Ryuki Kawasaki continues to dazzle at Mezzaluna with his flair and talent in combining a unique marriage of French and Japanese culinary creations. Premium Japanese ingredients are meticulously prepared and presented in dishes which defy description. The wines are no afterthought, with an encyclopedic compilation navigated by sommelier Mr. Jacopo De Chirico, whose stellar choice of pairings ably partner chef Ryuki's cuisine. Begin with mi-cuit Sakura masu or Japanese cherry trout, gently half cooked with oscietra caviar, a culinary achievement. Follow by a highlight of bafun uni custard, red sea urchin with white asparagus and a delicate touch of curry oil. Grilled rockfish and Sakura prawn with green asparagus, kalamata olive and cedro lemon, piquant, textural with flavours that dance on the palate. A quail dish oozes complexity, with bamboo shoot and broad beans surrounded by an earthy deeply flavourful morel dashi and an accompanying ravioli. Chef Ryuki's legendary binchotan charcoal grilled, wagyu beef deserves accolades but milk-fed piglet marinated in miso, with Kuruma prawn, carrot, ginger and lemongrass is a signature of the future. Desserts shine; chocolate and myoga, Japanese ginger combo with blueberry iced parfait and the crunch of a cocoa gavotte, a fitting finale.