YUME Tuna
Photograph signed by MIKA
Fragile, silent, and intense—that is the dream.
“Yume Tuna” is not just a dish.
It is a state of mind.
It was born in the restrained warmth of a small traditional restaurant in Taormina, Sicily—among friends, genuine emotion, and the rare courage to cook without a recipe, guided only by instinct. It was there that it revealed itself for the first time: as a delicate bridge between absolute respect for raw ingredients and the freedom to feel without asking permission.
Since then, I have carried this dish with me as an open secret —something that transforms but is never lost. Recently, I had the privilege of recreating it in another corner of the world, at The Pr1me Beach Club in Monte Gordo. There, some customers gave me the greatest gift a cook can receive: total trust. Cooking "whatever I feel like." No menu. No limits. And I chose to return to the dream of Taormina.
Customers are essential in any cook's journey. They are the most sincere. The most demanding. Those who read us in a single bite. When they tell me they felt something—that the emotion came through—everything makes sense. That's why I cook. I am deeply grateful for every reaction, for every attentive silence at the table, and to my colleague Nuno, for believing in and supporting me professionally in this very intimate sharing.
This is a dish born of water and silence. Inspired by slow gestures and flavors that reject haste, each element was conceived as part of an infusion—of sea, of light, of something inexplicable. There is warmth and freshness in the same breath. Textures that melt away, others that awaken. A base as deep as the ocean floor, where time and flavor finally meet. Citrus notes emerge like distant echoes of lemon trees in bloom, bringing contrast, precision, and balance. But there are also secrets — hidden layers, silent intentions, details that are only revealed to those who know how to listen with their taste buds.
