Sake No Hana

AlexWoods

Good, but value for money...? 6th August 2009

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Sake No Hana is good. I'm not 100% convinced that it's value for money, but what in St. James' is?

My sashimi was extremely fresh, but not necessarily very flavoursome. Griddled beef was delicious but there was precious little of it.

I would respectfully suggest a case of style of substance - the food was IMMACULATELY presented, it looked just beautiful. Also the staff on my visit were exceptionally good. Polite, appropriately sociable, discrete, and sympathetic to the fact that they were dealing with people who did not necessarily have a huge amount of experience or knowledge when it comes to Japanese cuisine.

The décor was very striking, though the shiny black, marbled stairwell (with broken escalator) did leave me with the impression that we would be met at the top by a scantily glad young lady, called Giselle, who would escort us to our table before offering us champagne and nakedness... I digress. Dramatic wooden..... lengths of 2x4 cover the walls, the sunken tables are a curious though comfortable looking touch - all very eye catching and stylish.

The high light, in my humble opinion, was the Saketini - a Martini made with Hendricks gin and Sake. Despite having a horrific hangover, and them coming in at 10 quid a pop, I couldn't help but have a couple. Simply delicious, though I got very little done that afternoon.

All in all, I enjoyed it. The Bento boxes are definitely a good way to dine though, especially if you don't strictly know what you're ordering!

Anthony_Heath

Sushi with a blow it budget! 6th August 2009

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I eat out quite a bit these days, loving everything from small intimate family run restaurants to some of London’s glitzy gastronomic haunts. I think this will aid in giving honest subjective reviews from someone that loves the entire price range of London’s eateries.

Ok, back to Sake No Hana… I expected big things from this place, and after reading a Times paper review stating “Every woman in London with a handbag that costs more than the annual wage in Benin is an expert on sushi. The high point for me was the box of steamed wagu beef, cooked at the table. It cost about as much as a handbag”. So I was slightly nervous of the cost, however excited that it must perhaps mean its particular special. I’m a big fan of the food from Yauatcha, and this being another restaurant of Alan Yau I was expecting something very good indeed.

So here I am sat in one of London’s most expensive districts sitting in a sunken table with floor heating to keep your newly undressed feet warm (yes your shoes must come off). It’s not some pretentious request, shoes are removed in order to climb over the seating and finally sit yourself down in a sunken seating area with the table as a suitable height, although I’ve heard other contradict me on this point.

I sit realising the irony of the situation… I'm a guy from Christchurch in Dorset eating in a restaurant in London owned by a Russian Billionaire, fronted by a Hong Kong restaurateur and I was seated by a rather glamorous polish girl and presented with a menu that included food imported from Australia. Wow… does it get any more cosmopolitan than this!

The service is very prompt and courteous and the menu is superb. I must admit the price is on the high side, but nothing you wouldn’t expect from this particular area with Champagne starting at £69 per bottle… not too over the top. As you may know Alan Yau is famous for his Wagama chain, but unlike that chain the food here is for the more carb-adverse clientele served in expensive small portions. A salmon Nigiri will set you back £3.50 each, but before you write them off… it was perfect. I’ve been quite into sushi recently eating restaurants to include Yo Sushi, Itsu and ordered many a delivery from Me Love Sushi and Ukai. The Sushi Sake No Hana serves is by far the best I’ve tasted, but be prepared to pay for it. If you were out on a budget I’m not convinced this is the place to go, it’s St James after all and I think as a treat it’s best go thinking there isn’t one.

I’ve heard great things about the décor, but after eating in Hakkasan and Yauatcha I was quite under whelmed by my environment. It felt a little sterile and bright, and the layout a little unstructured… but let’s not forget it’s the gorgeous food you’ve gone for.

So all in all expect to pay about £50 per head for some fantastic food in the glamorous Gucci district of London. Blow the budget and enjoy!

little_ol

Somewhere for the fresh seafood lovers 3rd July 2009

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Although hard to find and when I went the escalators didn't work, the restaurant had great interior design, very different and trendy.

The seafood was so fresh and well presented that it is a once-in-a-while luxury to go for top class sushi and sashimi.

The staff were ok but better training and a better uniform would help match the surroundings.