It may have been one of the longest weeks I've had in awhile. Crazy long. Between work, home, mommy duties...well, you get the picture. That is why on that particular early Friday afternoon I decided that I had no intention to cook that evening. I shot out a proposal to my teenage son
"Let's go out to eat this tonight. I heard about a Japanese restaurant nearby that I'd like t try."
My teenager took off his earpods and his eyes lit up. David, a lover of all things Japanese, from food to anime movies, accepted my proposal immediately.
So at 7:25 pm, we pulled into
Roji Japan Fusion Restaurant's parking lot and stepped into the
land of the rising sun.
Since we were one of the first guests to arrive that evening, manager
Giovanni Napoletano had a little time to talk to us about the concept of the place. How their vision is to fuse the best of Japan and the best of Italy in a one of a kind dining experience. Roji has a kitchen staff headed by two top chefs;
Francesco Franzese and
Al Pochynok, who took us out of Campania and into the Orient for a few hours. Take a look!
Rice chips with hints of shrimp, sour mascarpone, braised onion and tandori.
Crispy cubes with salmon tartar, teriyaki and kataifi sauce.
Octopus takoiaki.
Carpaccio takana, Mazara prawns, New Caledonia blue crayfish , yuzu beads and bonito.
The choice of what to drink was pretty obvious. I chose a apanese beer, though the restaurant's wine list is packed with quality champagne, sparkling wines, and wines from Camapnia and all over Italy.
Shitake mushrooms, scallop, and black truffles.
Nigiri squid, white tuna and caviar, seared salmon and kataifi, and tuna belly.
Snapper stuffed spring roll.
Yosenabe Zoup with mazara, scallops and blue lobster.
Scallop tempura and eel eucalyptus tartar.
Eel, shiso, and ice red onion, chicory salad with bergamo
Turbot pil pil, pak choi, sea fungus, and fermented plum emulsion.
"Banana Split'
'La Pastiera'
Caramel and raspberry tartlet.
Not bad for a Mommy/son night out. 😄
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