When the taxi driver told me we had reached our destination, I looked at him confused, seeing only a side street in central Lisbon, but a few steps into an open space and there it was - Yakuza, the ‘mother’ Japanese restaurant of Chef Olivier da Costa.
Close to the Portuguese capital’s grandest avenue, Avenida da Liberdade, this contemporary restaurant is linked to the 4-star Hotel Avani and is where the talented chefpreneur, with almost 30 years of experience, launched his first venture, now expanded to five restaurants in three different countries.
Accommodating around 100 people, the interior presents an elegant, intimate setting with a speckled marble floor, soft lighting, an exotic interior garden behind glass with an all-seeing buddha and walls decorated with paintings. The restaurant comprises several spacious rooms offering a variety of seating options including booth, open table and counter-side at the sushi kitchen.
My companion and I were seated in a cosy nook, a standing lamp on our table and pots filled with orchids above our heads on gold-colored metal stands adding romantic touches. Directly in front of us was the open sushi kitchen with an illuminated, multi-colored giant painting of a carp on the ceiling, a key element of Japanese cooking, created by Ivo Santos, also known by his nickname, Smile. Close to us was a glass-panelled memorabilia cupboard containing personalised chopsticks from previous clients.
Impressed with the eclectic cocktail menu, I chose a refreshing tamarindus pisco sour, a drink of Peruvian origin, with lemon, yuzu, egg white and a hint of angostura bitters. My companion chose a mocktail, cha Yakuza, a blend of jasmine, hibiscus, clove, cinnamon, lime and mint. Other choices included sakerinhas Yakuza or shogun, both based on sake with various tropical fruits and spices. There were ten different sakes to choose from.
Described as Japanese with Mediterranean influence, Yakuza’s food menu, based on the concept of sharing, is extensive, from sushi and sashimi, both traditional and reinvented, makizushi and gunkans - oval balls of rice wrapped in nori seaweed topped with various ingredients - to tempura, robata (similar to barbecue) and salads. Maria, Olivier’s niece, whom we bestowed the title ‘gastronomic guide, helped greatly in our choice of dishes throughout the evening.
Our multi-course dinner, presentation of which was extremely creative, began with thin slices of amberjack or yellowtail delicately arranged like flower petals on a plate, flavored with classic citrus ponzu sauce, honey truffle, onion and red vinegar, the truffle adding that interesting Mediterranean twist.
Other highlights included the restaurant’s popular gunkans, one consisting of seaweed sea urchin soya and lime, which my companion described as “a mouthful of ocean that awakens tastes with its coolness” and another with tuna belly, rice, foie gras, leek and truffle.
Our sashimi dish arrived at the table in a most theatrical manner, 12-day dry-aged tuna belly with caviar, yellowtail, sea-bream wrapped around sea-urchin, red mullet, crystal shrimp with salmon eggs, all delivered on a large platter enveloped in a veil of dry-smoke mist.
An innovative example of fusion cuisine was our salad of king crab, the soft meat decoratively filling one of the creature’s long slender legs, the butter sauce, tomatoes and coriander combining well with miso vinegar.
Even foie gras was incorporated into the menu, in a nigiri sushi with eel, teriyaki sauce and green apple pickle.
Moving from sea to land, we finished our feast with dainty wagyu burgers tied with a ribbon of seaweed and topped with quail egg, truffle and coriander.
Blending traditional Japanese cuisine with Mediterranean influences is a worthy trademark innovation of chef da Costa and an experience not to be missed when visiting lively Lisbon as did celebrities such as Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo and American actor, Owen Wilson, whose photos adorn the front reception desk.
