Restaurant & Bar Awards 2020

Page 8 www.lux-review.com LUX Restaurant & Bar Awards 2020 In Japanese Yuki means snow and indeed every detail of Yuki Cucina Giapponese speaks of purity. The restaurant is located at the exact spot where the ancient Noci ice house stood. Yuki focuses on the utmost respect for traditional Japanese cuisine. It is a goal to achieve through careful choices and observing long-established rituals. Before we talk business, owner Maurizio Tinelli is keen to set the scene, and fleshes out the curious tale relating to the site of the restaurant location in Noci, Italy. “Japan and Apulia had similar ice houses,” he begins. “People from the Murgese hills used to collect ice to provide themselves water supplies and to store food. It was a way to gear up for the recurring droughts. In spite of being a Mediterranean city, Noci was hit by such heavy snowfalls that the snow could be accumulated in the urban ice house underground rooms. Similarly, on the west coast of the Honsh Island, the Japanese city of Kanazawa has a very old Himuro, literally ‘house of ice’. Every first of June the inhabitants of the city renew a fascinating tradition dating back to the Edo period: at that time, large blocks of ice were wrapped in bamboo leaves and then carried by eight men to Edo (the ancient name of Tokyo). Those ice blocks were a gift to Shogun.” Maurizio moves on to food and tells us more about the ethos behind the restaurant and its Japanese culture. “Yuki is a Japanese restaurant which combines the respect for traditional dishes with the typical Apulian care for fresh raw ingredients,” he says. “Here Japan and Apulia embrace each other keeping their own authenticity. “Japan has a long tradition of respect for nature and its products; we adopt this attitude and use Maurizio Tinelli is the owner of Yuki Restaurant. He was recently awarded with the prestigious title of Leading Purveyors of Authentic Japanese Cuisine – Apulia. We caught up with him to talk about the beauty and skills that underlie the art of Japanese cuisine. Yuki Cucina Giapponese Leading Purveyors of Authentic Japanese Cuisine – Apulia only fresh and seasonal ingredients. We modelled our location on the authentic Japanese restaurants. The result is a comfortable atmosphere, which is the key to make the Yuki Experience unique.” Chef Andrea Fontana and Maurizio are students of the world-renowned Chef Hirohiko Shoda. They aim to achieve excellence in proposing a key concept of aesthetics and tradition in Japanese culture: ‘washoku cuisine’. “We personally select the best raw materials for the preparation of the dishes, respecting the criteria of seasonality, quality and freshness,” says Maurizio proudly. “From March 2019 Yuki has held the JETRO certification which certifies the quality of raw materials from Japan and the authenticity of true Japanese cuisine.” Yuki offers a different menu for each season, with the utmost care also given to the selection of wines and sake. The dining maître interprets wishes and requests to advise the guests on the most authentic way to experience true Japanese cuisine. “Every guest who enters our restaurant, whether a new or a regular customer, deserves the same attention,” he continues. “We chose to have only a few seats because that allows us to make every customer dinner exclusive and unforgettable. The atmosphere is intimate and accompanied by the right music while the lights illuminate every table. Our service is never intrusive, but intrigues guests introducing them to Japanese culture and customs.” Currently, ethnic cuisine is not only fashionable, but is increasingly sought after by customers in the restaurant sector and Yuki is a reference- point for traditional Japanese cuisine. “This always pushes us to do more every day. In the future there are growth forecasts for our specific sector, and we will always be ready to face new challenges. “Customer expectations have certainly increased since we opened our restaurant. We always do our best, in the search for new excellent products, in the improvement of the preparation techniques and we always experiment with the raw materials, following the washoku cuisine style. “In addition, we would love to share our approach to traditional Japanese cuisine, as there is still so little known. Finally, we would like to organise training courses and offer the opportunity to those who want to spend one or more days with us, in order to understand in-depth the work that “is not seen but can be felt” behind the preparation of each dish.” Contact: Maurizio Tinelli Company: Yuki cucina giapponese Address: Via Cap. Magg. Recchia, 24, 70015 Noci (BA) - Italy Telephone: 00390804949680 Web Address: www.yukiristorante.it Feb20150