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Is Japanese food all about the sushi?

For most people, Japanese cuisine arrives on a conveyor belt and is wrapped in sticky rice, but it turns out there’s more on offer from the land of the rising sun

It’s a question I’ve been mulling for some time as I gather my thoughts to pen this review. The short answer instinct is to say ‘yes’, but maybe that’s too hasty.
Most people adore a fine California roll or a carefully crafted salmon nigiri, or a dynamite roll, or any of about two dozen other types of rolls and nigiri that are common to most Japanese restaurants. Often, they are seen trundling by on a conveyor belt as you decide whether to plum for another dish, or whether your top button slowly losing the battle in holding your jeans together is an indication the last seven rolls were possibly enough for one meal.

And if sushi is what you demand from Japanese food, then Kazu is not your finest option. The restaurant’s rolls are tasty, no doubt, but when compared to the cost, most people will steer clear, since the aforementioned ‘conveyor belts’ are in evidence in many restaurants in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai — and these are probably better suited to sating your sushi needs.

But fortunately for Kazu, it turns out there’s actually more to a Japanese dining experience than just sushi. This is the long answer and you need to look at it this way… sushi is to Japanese cuisine what burgers are to American cuisine.

Cue shocked faces.

Gather it in… lift that dropped jaw off 
the floor.

Admittedly, it’s hard to write such a 
statement as I’m sold on sushi (and am 
never bored with burgers), but it appears there really is more to Japanese cuisine, which Kazu nails in the form of succulent beef teppanyaki that features some of the best meat on offer in Abu Dhabi. Tender isn’t the word. In fact, I even turned to a thesaurus to find more suitable words; it came back with loving, caring, affectionate, warm and gentle. Not exactly what I was looking for, but those words still apply to Kazu’s beef.

Topping off the evening was a selection of homemade ice creams, with the stand-out option being made from green tea. Light, radiant, buoyant, fluffy, weightless… okay, I’ve been back at the thesaurus, 
but it was all that and more. A definite dessert highlight.

Beyond the food, Kazu is able to shine on the setting front, with outdoor tables overlooking the marina and the sparkly-lit roof of the Yas Viceroy hotel, which goes a long way to making the journey worth the effort. My advice is to make a night’s stay of it. Get out of town — whatever town that may be — and experience the F1 hotel without the F1 mania.

Whether you try Kazu during your stay is down to whether you’re able to move on from only seeing Japanese cuisine as sushi. I’ll leave that one up to you, but if you do take the plunge, don’t miss the beef teppanyaki. It’s gorgeous, beautiful, elegant, stunning, attractive, striking, good-looking.