The right mix for Rainer Becker

The last person you'd expect to run trendy Japanese restaurants in Europe and Asia, feted by A-list celebrities, is a 44-year-old German. As Gordon Torbet finds out, Rainer Becker has a skill for combining East and West.

There is little flamboyance to Rainer Becker – as you might expect from a chef who frequently shakes hands with the likes of the Beckhams, Anastasia, ex-F1 supremo Eddie Jordan, Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, Lenny Kravitz, Naomi Campbell, Maria Sharapova, Quincy Jones, Kevin Spacey…

Instead you'll find a quiet confidence, even though you get
a sense of an exuberance simmering away just below the surface.

It's a hint of the energy that has been the true driving force behind his success, which really hit the road back in 1988 when he joined the Hyatt Regency in Cologne as head chef of their East Meets West restaurant chain.

From there the snowball began to roll: he went to Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong and Sydney, still with Hyatt. "Then," he says, "in 1993 I arrived in Tokyo and opened the Park Hyatt and that was where I really learned about Japanese food and fell in love with it.

"It's a very easy cuisine to look at and very light."
The moment he mentions Japanese food, his enthusiasm changes gear. "It looks very simple but it's so complex – starting with the knives and how to make sushi and so on. It really fascinated me."

After Tokyo, Rainer returned to London, "the culinary centre of Europe" as he calls it, and seeing the new trends being adopted there, thought that it was the ideal location to launch a new restaurant concept. "The competition is very strong but the rewards are also very good. I would never have tried this concept in Germany because for Zuma you needed the right audience."

In 2002, London was ripe for Zuma. But sushi itself is not new to the capital, so how does Zuma differ from other major Japanese restaurant chains?

"I call it authentic but not traditional. Not just in terms
of the food, but the entire setting." Rainer has no illusions about his restaurants being developments on an age-old theme. "I'm not a Japanese chef. I'm German, so it's weird enough opening a Japanese restaurant in London," he smiles.

"When I arrived in Japan I couldn't differentiate between good and bad restaurants. The flavour in a lot of Japanese food was quite bland because my palate was used to Western flavours. But three months down the road my palate adapted to Japanese flavours and I really began appreciating traditional Japanese food. In Zuma my target market is not Japanese. So the way I do my cooking is authentic Japanese but I flavour it more; I change it a little bit so it's bolder, more textured."

Rainer believes that tradition still plays a vital role in the character of Zuma and its sister 'bistro', Rokka and the Shochu lounge. "I think a white face doesn't belong behind a sushi counter! Especially with the nigiri sushi (the rice counter). There is so much tradition behind that; a chef needs to work in the kitchen for 10 years before he is allowed to go in front of the customer. He learns to clean the fish for a year, then wash the rice and sushi.

Maybe in the fifth year he is allowed to cut the fish. Then there are completely different spices, different knives and different ways to hold the knives – it's a completely different world."
The Zumas in London, Hong Kong, Istanbul and now Dubai all share similar menus depending on what is available in the region. Unfortunately, says Rainer, he doesn't get to spend as much time developing dishes in the kitchen as he would like. "I miss it.

A bit too much administration and meetings. I love to be in the kitchen". But my chefs are very good. I personally try to inspire them." However, none are adventurous enough to serve the famous (or possibly infamous) poisonous fugu fish. And with good reason: "It's hard to get, and you wouldn't really appreciate it," Rainer shrugs. "What Japanese like about the fugu is the texture – it's like biting on a sheep's ear – any raw food which has a strong texture is appreciated by the Japanese palate. Fugu doesn't have flavour as such."

One other tradition carried over to Zuma is the Izakaya concept. Unlike other celebrity-magnet eateries in many capitals, Rainer's ethos of Zuma is to be 'classless'. "What I like about Izakaya is that every kind of people meet there – rich, poor, artists, businessmen – everybody has a good time. That's fundamental to Zuma."

And so we return to subject of celebrity, the likelihood of bumping into a famous face and preferential treatment: "If they want a little bit of a quiet table, we can arrange it," says Rainer. "If they want to exit through the back door, yes, we do that. Otherwise they get the same treatment you do."
One of the attractions for the A-listers apart from the 'fusion' cuisine has to be the interior design created like three dimensional canvasses by Japanese designer Noriyoshi Muramatsu, which is beyond doubt crucial to the Zuma experience.

"I wanted to evolve the idea with design, quality of food and of service," Rainer enthuses. "It works well with my food philosophy. Zuma London uses granite, steel, glass and wood – that's it. And my food philosophy is to keep it simple, precise and fresh. And it's timeless. Zuma [in Knightsbridge] is now six years old and I still arrive in the morning and think 'Wow!' it still looks great."

There are plans for further expansion of the Zuma brand possibly in Miami next year, although Rainer adds, "I wouldn't mind seeing how it goes in Dubai, but I don't want to
go overboard. A restaurant has too many moving parts. If you do it too quickly there are too many things to go wrong."

I

I think I was very lucky. One day my Mum gave me a job to do in the kitchen – prepare the salad dressing or something – and I enjoyed doing it. I started in a German restaurant doing sauerkraut and ended up in a Michelin star restaurant.

I don't speak fluent Japanese any more, but I can still communicate the basics to the chefs. I'm not a Japanese chef – I would never go behind a sushi counter and make nigiri sushi, because first of all I can't do it – I have learned how to do it and what the difference is between good and bad sushi.

I had a very happy childhood – a lot of nature and only positive things. I grew up close to Bonn on the River Mosel in a very small, romantic town – just 10,000 people, and very easy-going. I was always in the kitchen with my mum.

I feel most at home in London, definitely. But I think I want to retire to a place where there is sun and the sea, but it could be anywhere – Europe, maybe.

To escape I go to the racetrack, and drive cars. For me it's relaxation. I have a Porsche GT3 in the UK.

My most valued possession is definitely my nine year-old daughter.

I think I would probably have gone into something like photography if I hadn't followed this career path. It's very creative and different all the time. I don't like being sedate. Becoming a helicopter pilot was also high up on the list when I was a child.

I'd like to be remembered for being a caring person and for having fun. I believe whatever you do you should get a kick out of it, so fun is very important. Yes, we run a serious business, but don't forget the fun part of it.

Me

Me and my business

My best business decision was teaming up with my business partner [Arjun Waney] and opening Zuma; my worst was opening up in Macau. I think we got it wrong there. The Chinese market isn't ready.

My definition of success is waking up in the morning and having the feeling that you are doing what you want to do. Money has never been a focal point. For me, it was always being happy what I'm doing. Luckily my business partner takes care of the financial side and I can concentrate on what I do best. I could never take on the entire burden. Your mind and your energy would start to be occupied with things you are not familiar with. So I didn't have to worry too much when we opened Zuma.

Me and the Porsche

My everyday car is a Porsche. But I got it nine years ago before my daughter was born, because I thought if I don't get it now, I never will. I think it says something about me: I am very loyal to people. I don't like too many changes otherwise I would have got another model – I've only driven four cars in my entire life.

Myself

If you could give yourself one piece of advice as a child, what would it be?

I'd tell myself not to trust everybody you meet. I'm a very trusting person, outgoing. I meet people and I trust them and sometimes it comes back to haunt me. I would also say take it easy. You learn over the years: you make mistakes and you chill out and back off and move on.

What do you want to be remembered for?

I don't want to be remembered for something specific but I want to be remembered as a fair person and someone who always tried to do the right thing.

Who is your role model?

Nobu Matsuhisa. He definitely opened the door for the concept of Zuma. He gave me the confidence that I could achieve something similar, because he is a Japanese chef working in the West, so he knows all about what the West appreciates and he has a similar twist on traditional Japanese food – and he's a very, very nice person.

Your worst traits?

I'm a natural worrier. I worry too much. That's something I wouldn't mind having a bit less of. If there is something on my mind I cannot switch off in the evening.

Your best traits?
I'm really forgiving. I really believe that the past is the past.