Today the story brings one of those mergers that only culinary is capable of providing. It is another one of those beautiful stories of a dreamer, of a restless genius that in his giant restlessness ends up creating. In 2016 our photography studio was mobile, that is, I took the studio to the chef, kitchen or restaurant, and the entire production was organized on the spot, with the space and items we had available to compose the ideal setting for the photo. That's exactly how I met Bruno Perrone from Black Saru Sushi. He contacted me after he saw me photographing another client, I went to his house, a beautiful place with a lovely garden and a passionate outdoor kitchen. I photographed all his dishes, and as is common in my profession, we became friends, his sushi became an important part of my life, as I always ordered his delivery or went personally to his special event called Sushi Garden.

As I said at the beginning, Black Saru's recipes are a fusion of Japanese and Brazilian cuisine, created by the talented hands of a Uruguayan, and this beautiful and harmonic combination has created, in my opinion and also that of many of its customers, the best sushi in Brazil.

I did a short interview with Chef Bruno:

Io: How was your start in the world of gastronomy?
Bruno: My start in cooking was in 2007, I was aimless until the advice of a friend who was going to study gastronomy arrived, so I entered the culinary world and that same summer I got a job as a helper in an international cuisine restaurant and I just loved the dynamics of the work, and the new knowledge I was acquiring, today I can say that it was always inside me.

Io: And when did you first learn about Japanese cuisine?
Bruno: For several years I went from kitchen to kitchen, staying between 3 to 5 months in each place, always changing style and function in restaurants and thus enriching my range of culinary knowledge. Among these works I took one that I fell in love with and it was the blessed sushi that stayed in my mind, since then the journey started. I never took a sushi professional course, I always learned in the practice of the job that requires you to learn faster, with no place for failures.

Io: Being an Uruguayan, how did you end up in Brazil?
Bruno: Yes, I am or Uruguayan. I arrived in Brazil to stay in Búzios in 2012, I think it was life that brought me to Búzios, I was traveling through America, I was in Peru, learning a little of Peruvian gastronomy, when a friend of mine that lived in Búzios called me saying that if I wanted, I could stay at her house until I found mine, and as the high season was over, I was aimless again. So I decided to come here, where I found what they call ‘a land of opportunity’. I felt that the place had a lot to give me.

Io: What about Black Saru?
Bruno: I got a job in a restaurant of contemporary Italian cuisine nere in the city where I stayed for 2 years, meanwhile I was feeding the idea of creating a sushi delivery that only grew during this period. In June 2014 I thought about a project in my own house with two people working, at that time I lived in a kitchenette with a small open plan kitchen that I adapted to work better. We used to advertise on Facebook, taking our own photos, cooking, serving and delivering, I had a Beetle at the beginning.

Io: And Black Saru, when it was born?
Bruno: The idea of the Black Saru Sushi Delivery was born out of the desire to make and take to the Buzianos’ home a ‘different sushi’, with restaurant quality and personalized service. The sushi we make I call it a Japanese-Brazilian fusion because I dedicated myself to exploring local products, using the techniques of sushi.

Io: Are the recipes created by you?
Bruno: Yes, I am the one who thinks about recipes, I am self-taught, always learning a lot in practice, with my own mistakes and for the willingness to really see things happen. I dedicate myself a lot to learn, this also flourished my artistic side and led me to create several flavors and types of unique dishes for Black Saru's menu. Nowadays we are also working with a vegan sushi menu.

Io: What about Sushi Garden? When did you have this brilliant idea of offering such a unique and personalized service?
Bruno: There has always been a desire in me to be able to offer the restaurant service with another style, something more personalized and original. I was influenced by a group of chefs who received their customers for dinner at their home, this was the inspiration to create this new series of Black Saru. Thus, in 2016, the Sushi Garden was born, bringing the concept of a tasting menu. Currently we continue to do it in the form of an event, which takes place monthly in a hostel by the sea, with a partner who already has a beautiful structure set up for the situation where they are in charge of the bar and Black Saru is in charge of the kitchen.

Io: How did the pandemic affect your business?
Bruno: When the pandemic started, there were many uncertainties, nothing was really clear in Brazil (and it remains still the same, lol). So at that moment I decided to close the delivery, but it was only for a short period, as the situation of COVID worsened and ended up favoring us, because people were afraid to go out and closed themselves in their homes, and the best option of eating out became delivery. That was how during the first quarantine months we worked intensively, but only with pre-orders, this is very important for us, due to the organization and concern with the freshness of the ingredients and in not wasting any perishable products. Soon after 6 months like that, I even had time to close to refurbish the kitchen, create new recipes, study one of my passion that is music and play my saxophone that I love. Anyway, in addition to learning and productivity, the pandemic brought me several challenges, some that I overcame, others are in the queue to be overcome, that's what life is, isn't it?
Io: Yes, without a doubt Chef!

Tuna Tataki in Sesame Crust and Tare Sauce

Ingredients

Tuna fish:
- 400 g of tuna loin
- 25 g of white sesame
- 25 g of black sesame

Sauce:
- 300 ml of dry white wine
- 200 ml of soy sauce
- 200 ml of water
- 500 gr of sugar
- 1 g of black pepper in grain
- 8 g of ginger cut into small pieces
- 1 small piece of tutu fabric to make a bouquet

Preparation
Stretch the piece of tutu fabric and place the black pepper and ginger on top. Close the fabric with a string to make the bouquet. Bring the wine and half of the sugar to a strong fire. When boiling, turn the heat down and let it halve. Add the rest of the ingredients and the bouquet, allowing to reduce over low heat for approximately one hour (depends on the stove). Stay tuned around about 45 minutes, to get the right point of the sauce that is thick.Toast the sesame together and reserve. Clean the tuna and cut in two parts. Pass the tuna in the sesame and place on a hot plate for 12 to 15 seconds on each side. Remove and cut each portion into 8 pieces. Preferably serve on a tray.