zuma

to be honest, despite loving zuma (oooooh that brunch!), i always stayed away from theirmiamispice menu. i never heard great things about the experience. well, not only did i love it, it’s been my favorite thus far!. coconut blanc manger. salmon & tuna tartare. spicy yellowtail roll. roasted beet salad

zuma is a japanese restaurant with a contemporaneous flair (inspired by izakaya-style japanese dining) that has already successfully launched more than 10 locations worldwide. its food, décor and ambience make zuma a unique food venue in miami. aside from an extensive meal selection, zuma offers an excellent tasting menu and likewise it features a brunch like no other in the city. certainly zuma is one of the best restaurants inmiamiin spite of being somewhat pricey.

what we liked the most: tiger prawn

my first visit to zuma miami, and i can say that they have the best fusion cuisine i have ever tried, fabulous presentations, beautiful decor, and a great service. i will definitely come back if i visitmiamiany time soon

went on my birthday dinner and was not a very pleasent experience. i and my wife were on vacation from india inmiamiand were recommended zuma by our hotel for a special dinner. so our table was booked for 8.30 pm and we finally got seating at 9.15 pm. didnt matter as we were having a nice time at the bar. we ordered the black cod with miso and my wife got a sharp bone in the fish while eating which is not expected at a restaurant of the quality and price as zuma. the server said he would replace and he apologized. after 7 to 10 min he came back and said he couldn't guarantee that the next black cod will be filleted properly and without bones as the server hadn't filetted it himself. wowww. so is it the server who fillets the fish. so he said you could skip the fish if you like. we then ordered scallops which took another 15 min to arrive while we were hungry. after that when we asked for pot rice the server said it will tk 25 min and then when we said get us some sushi roll quickly he said it will also take 15 min. when one has already had a bad experience then service and attention has to be better. while the food was nice whatever we had but then you expect better service. the senior management tried all damage control as we asked for the cheque after the scallops and wanted to leave. they offered us free desserts but we were not in the mood. great food and ambience but service needs to improve. maybe my case was a one off but it did happen.

what an unbelievable dining experience we had here last year while in town! our waitress lindsay was so down to earth and friendly and did a great job of surprising us with various food items as we had chosen to do the omakase menu. she tweaked it a little bit for us to ensure that some of her favorite items were brought to us and we loved them all! as we were leaving, gregory (the manager) came over to ensure our meal went well and we gave him our rave reviews. after chatting for a bit, he kindly offered to buy us a drink at the bar, very nice of him! he let us know that zuma may be opening restaurants in la or vegas soon and i was so glad to hear that. i will definitely be checking out any west coast openings as we live in san diego and don't make it tomiamivery often. but, every time i do make it tomiamii'm heading to zuma!

this past week, i got together with some foodie friends to enjoy a nice, leisurely lunch.  eleanor hoh, (the famous wok star), hugh sinclair (otherwise known as chef irie), and i decided to go check out themiamispice menu at zuma in the epic hotel. one of the great things about this foodalicious time of year, is that it gives everyone yet another reason to go out and explore themiamidining scene. lunch and dinner become just a tad bit more exciting when you know (a) you're choosing from a carefully designed menu and (b) you're saving money. zuma is an asian restaurant featuring modern japanese dishes served in the informal dining style called "izakaya".  it offers both indoor and outdoor seating, overlooking biscayne bay. themiamirestaurant is one of several of this brand located around the world including london, hong kong, dubai, istanbul and bangkok. it has a very energetic ambiance and was pretty much packed throughout our entire lunchtime 

class act. the cuisine is elegant as is the place (casually so) and the clientele. ingredients are top notch, the presentation is very creative without being precious, and the service is attentive and friendly. you can tell i really like the place. i’ve been here several times. i have to say, the best time for my taste is lunch. at dinner it can be frenetic and crowded, the way the several “hot” restaurants are in miami. at lunch you can really enjoy it, and even more so, with the three course special formiamispice for $23 plus tax and gratuity. we each ordered  different dishes. to start we had the two appetizers, white miso soup and the japanese mizuna salad, greens with bacon and maple dressing . my friend followed with the salmon teriyaki with pickled cucumber, a perfect size portion, very fresh and tasty. a standout was what they call the sashimi collection — a

great fusion seafood creations. this place is great! the ambiance is very miami, with a great view of the bay and themiamiriver, but not as loud and obnoxious as some other "in" restaurants in the area. reservations are definitely recommended althou waiting at the bar and having a couple of cocktails and appetizers there is lovely as well. the food comes in small portions which is great for sharing, and it comes out as its ready giving you time to savor one while getting excited about what is going to come out next. my favorite options are seafood based: the tuna & salmon tartar is so fresh, the sea-bass sashimi with truffle oil is totally worth trying, and the noodles with lobster are so fun to eat! my dad is a big meat eater and he always walks out satisfied as well (he raves about the spicy beef tenderloins). i have been back to this location plenty of times and would love to try the other ones in london, dubai, or hong kong (day dream much?)

while gazing out the window at the boats cruising themiamiriver, the rock shrimp tempura arrives. they looked and smelled fantastic. the tempura was hot, hot , hot and tender, each bite igniting a volcanic explosion of flavor in my mouth. i had never tasted anything like this before. definitely the best tempura i have ever had, in my life.

this restaurant is situated at the edge of brickell avenue, overlooking themiamiriver. it features indoor & outdoor seating, an open robata grill kitchen and a sushi bar. it has quite a unique atmosphere…the first time i entered this place i thought that the decor was the epitome of a contemporary and sophisticated food destination. they specialize in modern japanese cuisine served “izakaya” style which means that food items are usually shared by everyone at the table. i was with mr. h, my infamous dining companion, and we ordered the rock shrimp tempura with lime and chile mayonnaise (ebi no tempura) as an appetizer, followed by a mixed leaf salad and pork loin from the robata grill. while gazing out the window at the boats cruising themiamiriver, the rock shrimp tempura arrives. they looked and smelled fantastic. the tempura was hot, hot , hot and tender, each bite igniting a volcanic explosion of flavor in my mouth. i had never tasted anything like this before. defin