ZUMA JAPANESE FUSION CUISINE AT THE COSMOPOLITAN "Viva Las Vegas"

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Michael Hepworth

ZUMA JAPANESE FUSION CUISINE AT THE COSMOPOLITAN LATEST VENTURE FROM INTERNATIONAL GROUP

Las Vegas (Perfect Meal Today)5/24/17/–After checking out Zuma in London just over a year go I was extremely excited to learn about the recent opening at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas and to see how it compared. Well the report cards are in about the 11^th Zuma worldwide, and as expected a degree of excellence can be found in a restaurant which is like being in a live theatre show that happens to serve outstanding food served izakaya style.

The atmosphere is outstanding and the curated music of funk, disco and dance rhythms is loud and nonstop but not overwhelming due to the acoustics helped by a low ceiling. Service is brisk and well co-ordinated from the young sharply dressed waiters, and what on the surface seems disorganized is in fact a tight and well rehearsed operation. The food is high end Japanese-fusion style and there are so many signature items on the menu, we can only highlight just a few.

The large 9,000 square foot space was designed by Noriyoshi Muramatsu from Tokyo. He has created a design that incorporates the four natural elements-earth, fire, water and air along with plenty of wood rusted iron, stone and glass. There is also a feature wall composed of natural stone from Chiang Mai, Thailand, and the reception desk, bar and sushi counter are all made of grand tree trunks from Thailand.

Finally the patchwork wall in the main lounge is created from highly colored Japanese paper. Zuma was created by German chef Rainer Becker, and this is the third American operation following success in New York and Miami, and surely it is only a matter of time for more to follow. From the main kitchen you might want to try the signature dish of ‘suzuki no sashimi,’ an insanely fresh dish of sea bass sashimi with yuzu, truffle and salmon roe. The Tempura is wonderful here as is the ‘tori no tebasaki’ which is sake glazed chicken wings with sea salt and lime.

All the sushi is some of the best you will ever try such as the ‘dynamite spider roll with crab and chili or the ‘spicy yellowtail roll’ with yellowtail, Serrano pepper avocado and wasabi mayo. The cocktail program and wine selection is particularly impressive at Zuma highlighted by the cocktail known as the ‘Zuma Zacapa Live Solera,’ one of only 11 restaurants in the world to serve it. Other highlights include the ‘rubabu,’ a rhubarb infused sake w/vodka, passion fruit and lemon. The ‘geisha smash’ is a blend of Ketel One, shiso leaves, cucumber, elderflower and yuzu, and the ‘yuzu paloma’ has tequila blanco, yuzu Campari ; soda and green tea salt. Other Zuma’s are located in Hong Kong, Dubai, Istanbul, Miami, Bangkok, Datca, Abu Dhabi, New York and Rome and all the chefs are trained in London before taking on their global posts. The choices of where to eat at the Cosmopolitan are vast and in Las Vegas, staggering. You will not go far wrong if you make Zuma one of your top choices.