Rozu brings Japanese brunch to Rockville Centre
The wagyu burger has pickled daikon radish with bacon and Calabrian aioli at Rozu in Rockville Centre. Credit: Newsday/Andi Berlin
Japanese breakfast is having a moment. And not just the indie pop band, but the food too … fluffy soufflé pancakes that reach to the clouds, cocktails mixed with tart yuzu lemon or light Suntory whisky, and little bites of fish, served raw or cooked in sake and mirin until they're sweet and syrupy.
The cloudlike soufflé pancakes have touched down on Long Island at Lindenhurst's Bakuto and more recently, Rozu in Rockville Centre.
An aesthetically designed sushi and omakase bar, Rozu opened in March in the former home of The Ugly Duckling. The restaurant is a partnership between Say Less hospitality and the Long Island group behind Mesita in Rockville Centre and Garden City and SALT in Merrick.
"We see less and less people, post-COVID commuting into Manhattan, so it's about being able to provide that dining experience here," says restaurateur Max Feinberg, who works with both groups. In addition to the Japanese brunch and a 21-course omakase experience, Rozu is also about to add a speakeasy cocktail bar called Cache with a hair salon theme and a Tokyo alleyway feel.
At Rozu, two indoor trees spurt a fantastical canopy of flowers, while graffiti art murals give off a glam punk-meets-Alice in Wonderland vibe. Chef Lee Hernandez leans into the pageantry, with tableside handroll service and elaborate rolls loaded with uni and caviar. His eye for trends extends to the Japanese brunch menu on the weekends.
Here, you'll find a playful mix of sweet and savory, sometimes in the same dish. Like a side of maple-glazed potato tots that you pick up with chopsticks, expertly crispy yet with a faint sugar flavor. Japanese avocado toast is prepared with airy milk bread and a black sesame-poached egg. There are taiyaki pastries shaped into fish, and a curated selection of sushi and sashimi made into crudos, platters and rolls.
The soufflé pancake at Rozu in Rockville Centre is denser than a typical Japanese pancake. Credit: Newsday/Andi Berlin
Rozu's Japanese pancakes are shorter and wider than some of the jiggly custard towers seen online. They actually look more like an American pancake, browned on the edges with just the slightest poof to them. Nevertheless, they're very good, with a fluffy center that plays into the maple syrup.
Unexpectedly, a brunch burger steals the show, but that's what happens when you're grilling American wagyu beef patties and topping them with bacon, pickled watermelon radish and a creamy aioli spiced with Calabrian chiles. The burger is worth the $30 price tag (without sides) for the tender meat alone.
Aside from the thumping music, the restaurant was relatively quiet on a recent Saturday, still under the radar.
Rozu, 21 S. Park Ave., Rockville Centre. It's open 4 p.m. to midnight Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to midnight Saturday and Sunday; 516-208-3110, rozurvc.com
Andi Berlin is from Arizona and does not know where she is going. But when she gets there, she’ll find something beautiful and delicious that the world needs to taste.
