Elements in Rome, Italy: Fusion Sushi by the Champion of Sushi Cup Portugal

Posted by Rowena Dumlao Rowena Dumlao - Giardina 8/29/2019

Elements in Rome, Italy: Fusion Sushi by the Champion of Sushi Cup Portugal

Sushi as we come to know it to this present day has been made in Japan since the Edo Period, around 200 years ago. It has been around even much before with a different method of preparation wherein the fish is fermented with rice vinegar, rice and salt, while the rice is discarded afterwards and not consumed. During the Edo Period, the haya-zushi or fast sushi was invented and it became the symbol of Japanese cuisine. It's a kind of sushi assembly that we know wherein both the fish and rice mixed with vinegar can be eaten at the same time. With its incredible popularity, sushi has gone global, spreading all over the world and even conjoined with the local food culture of some countries.   

In spite of the presence of a big number of sushi restaurants in Rome, only a handful are able to represent the dish well. It's a kind of dish that requires only the best and freshest raw ingredients and flawless skills of the sushi chef. Elements Sushi is a newly-opened restaurant of Roberto Langellotti in Via Palermo wherein Maurìlio Araùjo directs the sushi counter along with two other chefs. Maurìlio originated from Brazil then moved to Portugal in 2004 where he later mastered the art of sushi-making. Working as a sushi chef took him to different restaurants in Brazil, Portugal and various parts of Italy. At the beginning of 2019, he won the First Sushi Cup Portugal 2019 and represented Portugal in Japan for the prestigious World Sushi Cup 2019 where he finished as one of the top finalists.   

At Elements, Maurìlio presents a very interesting menu of classic and fusion sushi. The combination of flavors merge well in the palate and fundamentally, the ingredients he uses have exceptional quality. It's one of the best places to get fusion sushi in the capital. And it's no wonder that the restaurant has gained so much popularity when it just opened a couple of months ago. Booking is highly advisable.  

The menu is divided into four categories of Starters (€4 - €18) including dishes like Edamame, Miso Soup, Gyoza Wagyu, and Tori No Karaage (Japanese style fried chicken) to the more expensive and complex line of Signature Starters (€15 - €25) like Tataki Otoro (tataki tuna belly), Ceviche Nikkei and Anatra Tataki (duck tataki). Robata or Japanese Skewers (€6 to €15) with a variety of vegetables, scallops, Iberian pork, chicken and octopus. Signature Dishes (€13 to €65) include Bao Wagyu, Bao Shrimp, Wagyu (grilled slice of wagyu), Ramen, Udon and Glacier 51, considered the marine equivalent of wagyu in the culinary world which gives a delicate mouthfeel and sweet flavor. It comes from Heard and McDonald Islands and takes its name from the Fiftyone Glacier, one of the largest glaciers in the Australian Antarctic. For the sweet part, there are interesting creations of Mascarpone Mousse, Brownies and Cheesecake for the Desserts (€7 to €10).