Taki Off is a gourmet restaurant in the heart of Rome that tells two different gastronomic stories that are tied together in chef Andrea Fusco's successful dishes.
Taki Off
Taki Off was born just over a year ago, alongside the Japanese restaurant Taki, with which it shares part of a name but not the soul of the kitchen. The idea for the format comes from owners Andrea and Yukaki Vitti, who had the desire to create, in the Prati neighborhood in Rome, a place where Italy and Japan could confront and complement each other’s renowned culinary traditions.
The ambiance of the land of Rising Sun can be felt immediately upon entering. The dark interiors, evoking an authentically Japanese atmosphere, are expertly lit in a way that makes the room pleasant and elegant. Then, flowing water, sculptures and objects allow guests to momentarily step out of the capital and immerse themselves in a distant and incredibly fascinating world. The menu itself, which brings local ingredients into sharp focus in Japanese preparations, brings diners back to familiar yet still cosmopolitan Rome.
The cuisine
A Japanese heart beating in a typical Italian chest. This is how one can describe the cuisine of this Roman restaurant, where the local culture cracks the code. It is a continuous game of balance and understanding between two countries that, thanks to the expert hand of chef Andrea Fusco, speak to each other through the dishes.
"These are ingredients to which I feel very attached," says the Roman chef, who was being summoned to receive a coveted award just as quickly as he donned his Taki Off jacket. The Madrid Fusion 2022 awarded him for his unmistakable style in front of the stove. "I am not crazy about the word fusion, but I was overjoyed. There at the award ceremony, I also met a former intern of mine; knowing that he has grown professionally and accomplished important goals really moved me." Andrea Fusco has always loved Japan, and his dishes bear witness to this passion for a faraway land that the chef has had the opportunity to discover through travel, ingredients, and people.
“"Back in 1999, I had Japanese interns for a work experience that lasted not a semester but a year. In addition to joining me in the kitchen, they also accompanied me around Italy: it was an all-around adventure that lasted 7 years, during which I trained 7 young people, and two of them even lived in my house." Curiosity is a must when eating here. And it is possible to explore either through the many à la carte offerings or by setting a course on one of the three tasting menus, each as original and intriguing as the next. Among the menus, I Classici (The Classics) offers a roundup of the iconic dishes that have guided and inspired Andrea Fusco to success; then Dedicato al mio amore (Dedicated to my love), five courses made with the chef's sweetheart's favorite ingredients; and finally Quello che mangerei io (What I would eat), where you are guided down the path of five dishes that flaunt the chef’s culinary concept of fusion.
They do say there are never two without three, and in the case of Taki Off, it’s really there are never three without four. The triptych of paths is, in fact, flanked by another, which in turn branches out into three numbered choices; it is an experimental modular menu in which the customer can be guided by intuition and emotion, creating a totally personalized gastronomic path for himself. Andrea Fusco knows Japan well, and he was able to delve into the traditions of this ancient and mystical country thanks to a two-month trip he undertook with his ex-wife between 2008 and 2009. The reason? To travel from city to city to visit his interns, that joined him in his restaurant Giuda Ballerino, with which the chef won a coveted Michelin recognition.
Mortadella tortelli with fried arugula
"I found out with great pleasure that one of my interns had opened Giuda Ballerino in Osaka. My ex-wife had wanted to move to Japan, but we had a well-established venue in Rome, and in the end, we decided to return to Italy." But how did Andrea Fusco land at Taki Off? Owner Onorio Vitti tells us directly. "My search for a chef to lead the Taki Off restaurant with love and sensitivity, in this second phase, was directed toward someone with experience who nevertheless had the energy and enthusiasm of a young man, and Andrea Fusco immediately won over both Yukari and me. His strict respect for ingredients made us realize how he was the ideal person to tell a story of a world in balance between West and East!"
Sea bass tataki with frisella (a typical dried bread from Puglia), tomato, olives and capers with buffalo mousse and hibiscus air
After the closer the happy chapter of Giuda Ballerino, as well as several consultancies around the country, the chef reached a new realm where his ideas could find concrete realization. "My cuisine is influenced by Japanese techniques, ingredients and culture, but it is not Japanese because I am Italian." Fusco embodies the two souls: the Japanese meticulousness and the less precise but perhaps more authentic all-Italian creativity for a result halfway between two worlds that conquers sight and palate.
Welcome from the kitchen
The dishes
Taki Off's dishes have captured a key characteristic from Japan: elegance. After the beauty, which is striking in its blend of colors and harmony, come the flavors, which demonstrate what it means to pair two immortal cultures. In the shrimp crudo with matcha tea powder, almond cream and black truffle, the Italian Japanese interplay is clearly perceived.
Langoustine crudo with matcha tea powder, almond cream, black summer truffle
Everything is happily calibrated; the raw shrimp blends with the other flavors in a delicate but firm bite. The same crustacean is processed and presented in a decidedly more spirited way in the shrimp skewer in phyllo dough with mortadella mousse. Crunchy with a soft heart, it is to be dipped in the creamy version of mortadella and, alongside a jar full of colorful balls, creates initial bewilderment because it takes a few seconds to realize that the bucket is merely decoration, miniatures of amusement park pools that children love to dive into. Then, the tempura oyster with cotechino and sake plums is another dish in which the sweet and salty mix perfectly in a concert of tastes that reaches from Italy to Japan.
Playing with raw fish
Risotto with langoustine, cauliflower, eel and beef jus is part of the dishes on the Dedicated to My Love menu, a culinary chapter designed for the person who holds a special place in the chef's life. The entrée is creamy and colorful; the flavors are balanced and are expressed both as a whole and individually.
Fake carbonara
A new encounter between East and West arrives with dessert: sake and yuzu babà served with wasabi ice cream. The famous Neopolitan pastry is washed down with a 100% Japanese liqueur, taking the place of the classic rum. And the wasabi ice cream, truly surprising to the palate, completes the dish with an extra touch of panache.
Sake Babà
It is an idyll journey from Italy, already rich in recipes and culinary culture, that thanks to the expert guidance of the chef, skillfully ferries guests through Eastern traditions. But at Taki Off, Adrea Fusco is not repeating stories, he is expressing a new adventure. 
Address
Taki Off
Via Marianna Dionigi, 62, 00193 Roma RM
Tel: 389 565 6992
Website
