ROKA Istanbul and Ozan Kumbasar's Aegean-Japanese Cuisine Meeting! | HORECA TREND
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ROKA Istanbul and Ozan Kumbasar Bring Aegean-Japanese Cuisine Together!

Representing contemporary Japanese cuisine with locations all around the world, Roka continues to offer its guests a unique experience through collaborations with beloved Turkish chefs. Following Maksut Aşkar and İnanç Çelengil, Roka continues its successful collaborations with Turkish chefs with Ozan Kumbasar. 

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Roka Istanbul chef, who draws attention with the awards he received in the Turkish gastronomy scene Suna Hakyemez Founder and chef of Vino Locale, which was awarded 2025 Michelin Star and a Green Star in 1 Ozan Kumbasar's special menu, which brings together Japanese and Aegean cuisine cultures, is available for two days only. Monday, February 17 ve Tuesday, February 18 Roka will be served to guests in the evenings. 

Kumbasar, who has brought to life the love of cuisine that he has carried in his heart since childhood with Urla Vino Locale, is known for preparing a new menu every month with the products of Urla and the region. Drawing on the richness of the fertile Aegean lands, he prepares recipes that have left a mark on palates from past to present with his innovative approach. 

The chefs who came together at Roka Istanbul will present the different techniques of the two cuisines and the stories they weave behind their plates to their guests with this special menu they prepared for two dinners. The menu includes flavors reflecting the ingredients and techniques of both cultures. Crispy Rice Nigiri and Chu-Toro Tartar with Yuzu Mayo and Green Onion; Urla Blue Tail Prawn Gyoza; Urla Crispy Gum Artichoke and Yuzu Kosho Goat Cheese Cream; Beef Cheek with Hazelnut Celery Puree and Sour Cherry; Grilled Eggplant with Minced Mirin, Ginger and Soy Glaze; Ozan Chef's Mother's Recipe Lemon Parfait; and Tom Yum Mochi with Lotus Chocolate and Şırnak Syriac Liqueur.

Roka Istanbul chef Suna Hakyemez states that this collaboration offers an experience that blends Turkish and Japanese cultures and the unique flavors of the geography while also carrying the local richness of the Aegean. He says, “As Roka Istanbul, hosting Ozan Kumbasar in our kitchen and bringing together the vast ingredients and culinary understanding of the Aegean with Roka flavors was both a very enjoyable and productive experience.” 

Ozan Kumbasar expressed his thoughts on the collaboration with the following words: “As a chef who values ​​sustainable gastronomy and seasonality, I am very happy to have the opportunity to bring together Japanese and Aegean cuisines, which symbolize a rich history and culture. We will offer our guests an unforgettable experience with this collaboration that pays tribute to the seasonality and world-class ingredients of both cuisines.” 

About Azumi Ltd

Azumi Limited is an award-winning global restaurant business with many established brands serving contemporary cuisine in key cosmopolitan locations. Azumi Group is one of the global investments of D.ream, which was established in 2012 as a subsidiary of Doğuş Group.

Created by Rainer Becker and co-founded with Arjun Waney, Azumi's journey began with the opening of Zuma London in 2002. This was quickly followed by ROKA London in 2004. There are currently 21 Zuma and 9 ROKA restaurants around the world, and preparations for other restaurants are ongoing. In addition to the Japanese concepts Zuma and ROKA, Oblix opened at The Shard in 2013.

ETARU, which was launched in Florida in 2017, offers the ROKA concept with a different look to the east coast of the USA. 

About ROKA

Following the enormous success of Zuma London, Rainer Becker quickly recognized the huge popularity of robatayaki cuisine and opened ROKA Charlotte Street in 2004, creating a contemporary Japanese menu. ROKA Group has expanded rapidly and now has a portfolio of restaurants in London's most sought-after locations. ROKA's main cuisine comes from the Robata grill. Located in the middle of the grill, the grill forms an integral design element of all restaurants, but more than just a striking feature, the robata is truly the heart of ROKA. 

The current ROKA portfolio includes the following restaurants (in chronological order): London Charlotte Street and Shochu Lounge (2004), London Canary Wharf (2009), London Mayfair (2014), London Aldwych (2014) Dubai Business Bay (2020) Spain Mallorca (pop -up 2021, 2022, 2023) Saudi Riyadh (2021), Istanbul (2022), Kuwait (2022), Jeddah (2023) and Barcelona (pop-up 2023).

Source: HORECA TREND and Roka Istanbul

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Restaurant

“Four Hands Dinner” Experience Bringing Chinese and Japanese Cuisine Together at Shang Palace

Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul, is hosting a special meeting that will be closely followed by the gastronomy world at its award-winning restaurant Shang Palace on Thursday, May 15th.

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Chef Cheng Lu, the master of authentic Chinese cuisine, and Kenji Kume, the Executive Chef of Maromi, the refined representative of Japanese cuisine, come together for the first time in the same kitchen to create the “4 Hands Dinner” experience, which will be offered exclusively for tonight. The 8-course, meticulously curated menu, bearing the signature of two visionary chefs, will take guests on an unforgettable taste journey between two deep-rooted cuisines of Asia.

Istanbul's first Far East hotel, Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul, is preparing to offer a new peak in fine dining experience by bringing together the cultural heritage of two great Asian cuisines at the same table at its signature restaurant, Shang Palace. The event is being organized three days later, exclusively for the evening of May 15th.

8-Stage Far East Menu Where Art and Modern Touches Meet

Shang Palace's Head Chef Cheng Lu, represents China's Cantonese and Sichuan cuisines with over 40 years of experience. Known for his authentic recipes, Lu will present the refined techniques and timeless flavors of Chinese cuisine to guests on this special night. Kenji Kume, who specializes in Japanese cuisine and has been serving as Maromi's Executive Chef for over 20 years, is known for his interpretation of classic Japanese cuisine with modern touches. Standing out with his aesthetic presentations and delicate balance of flavors, Kume brings the refined character of Japanese cuisine to the menu.

The menu brings together many elements, from Far Eastern seafood to traditional steaming techniques, from contemporary presentation styles to centuries-old flavors. In this exclusive experience consisting of eight stages; guests will be presented with creative plates such as oysters marinated in Shaoxing wine, “Lo Hei” sashimi, steamed bun with beef, Peking duck sushi, Tanmen noodles with foie gras, lychee crystal dessert and an elegant choux presented in the form of a swan. The menu is designed as a taste story that reflects the technical mastery and cultural richness of the two cuisines.

Make your reservation now so you don't miss this unique experience in the stylish and elegant atmosphere of Shang Palace.

Source: HORECA TREND and Shang Palace

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BigChefs Opens a New Page in Taste with Its New Summer Menu

Türkiye's leading full-service restaurant chain brand BigChefs* is preparing to welcome its guests with a brand new menu reflecting the freshness and comfort of summer as of May. Always focusing on customer satisfaction and flawless service with the motto of "Always better, always eat better", the brand is bringing traditional flavors together with modern interpretations and bringing them to its menu this season.

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It is possible to see the freshness of summer in all the products newly added to the BigChefs menu. In the new summer menu of BigChefs; “Beluga Lentil-Based Bulgur Salad”, which literally reflects the green spirit of summer with bulgur, beluga lentils, fresh herbs, and “Purslane-Ayran Soup” served cold, stand out as the coolest and most traditional of the summer menu.

Smoothies that add coolness to summer with dragon fruit, peach and peanut options take their place in BigChefs' new menu, while grapefruit, dragon fruit and peach flavored "Special Spring Waters" add an exotic taste to summer. BigChefs, which added Virgin Petit Beurre to its menu in moctails, one of the trending drinks of the recent period, also adds a fresh and light touch to its dessert menu with "Warm White Chocolate Mountain Berries". 

Indispensable Flavors

BigChef's new summer menu invites its guests to open a new page in taste. The most striking plates on the menu are candidates to be favorites of every season; "Big Shish Kebab" and "Chicken Schnitzel with Eggplant". Bringing together the strong ingredients of Anatolia, Big Shish Kebab stands out with both its devotion to local production and its taste. 

BigChefs' summer menu, which diversifies the classic flavor of chicken schnitzel, which is much loved by its guests, to suit every palate, features new schnitzel varieties with mushroom sauce and eggplant puree, as well as Chicken Milanese, whose flavor deepens with different cheeses. 

A Menu Enriched with Flavors That Can Be Consumed All Day Long 

The menu also includes a delicious plate that can be preferred all day long with sour cream, avocado, marinated salmon and fresh herbs on sourdough village bread. The “Fried Salmon Salad with Crispy Lentils”, which offers a healthy and nutritious meal with salmon pieces in teriyaki sauce and sprouted legumes that have been on the rise recently, emphasizes the lightness and freshness of the menu.

BigChefs, which invites a gastronomic discovery with each new menu, both inspires and emphasizes the sustainable approach in its cuisine once again with this selection prepared specially for the summer months. Saying “We are opening a new page in taste”, every page turned in the brand’s menu is inspired by nature, nourished by tradition and shaped by the expectations of the age.

Commitment to Sustainability and Safe Food

BigChefs prioritizes sustainability in its menu by supporting local producers with the “Women of the Soil” project. In addition, it continues its commitment to providing healthy and safe food to its guests with the Safe Food Certificate agreements made with the Association of Out-of-Home Consumption Suppliers (ETÜDER).

*According to the results of Deloitte “Türkiye Food Service Market Report” published in 2022.

Source: HORECA TREND and BigChefs

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“Classic Dishes of Turkish Cuisine” Feast from Matbah Restaurant

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Ancient and Sustainable Turkish Cuisine is on the World Stage Once Again!

It continues to introduce our gastronomic culture, which has been kneaded in the fertile lands of Anatolia for thousands of years and enriched with the traces of different civilizations over the centuries, to the masses. Turkish Cuisine Week, which is celebrated with events in our country and all over the world every year between May 21-27, this year, “Classic Dishes of Turkish Cuisine” It aims to build intercultural bridges with.

The “Classics”, which carry the traditional, healthy and waste-free heritage of Turkish Cuisine, stand out as the shining jewel of our cuisine’s naturalness, flavor, and unique storage and cooking techniques. Each of these flavors, which carry the traces of centuries-old traditions filtered from the fertile lands of Anatolia, reveal both the diversity of Turkish cuisine and its universal value. Our classic dishes, known by their names internationally but not so well-known recipes, will be introduced to the world while remaining true to their historical roots, while also telling the story of how traditional recipes can be kept alive in the modern world in a sustainable and healthy way. Therefore, celebrating Turkish Cuisine Week with classic dishes will once again be a beautiful example of how the ancient practices of our country’s culinary tradition can find meaning and vitality today.

More than just a series of recipes, Turkish Cuisine Classics brings people together at the dinner table and connects us to each other. As an indispensable part of Turkish culture, it offers a warm start for those who want to get to know our culture better. While the basic recipes and products that make up the local cuisine of 81 provinces offer a colorful range of flavors in domestic celebrations, the events at the foreign representations of the Republic of Turkey will make us experience the sincerity of our hospitality, where different cultures come together at our tables and get to know each other without prejudice.

Ottoman Hotel Imperial located within Matbah RestaurantThe Historical Peninsula, which hosted the Ottoman Empire for centuries, will be open for Turkish Cuisine Week between May 21-27 with its “AMBIENCE THAT SMELLS OF HISTORY” “Classic Dishes of Turkish Cuisine”, welcomes you, our valued guests.

Source: HORECA TREND and Matbah Restaurant

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