“The freshest sushi I’ve ever had in London.” Those were the words from Mr. FFG as we left Sake No Hana on Friday night in St. James’s. It was the overwhelming display on the door at Sake no Hana in London that had us hooked from the start. This is a decor like nothing you’ve ever seen before in a sushi restaurant.
To celebrate the Japanese cherry blossom season “sakura”, Sake No Hana have completely transformed their ground floor bar into a garden of sorts. It all starts with the entrance, as mentioned above, but then moves throughout the bar space to make you think you could actually be sitting in a field of cherry blossoms. They are quite literally everywhere from the walls to the menu. This pop up garden provided a night of fantastical indulgence.
We began our evening sampling the cocktails, all inspired by the cherry blossoms around us, and moved through into the special menu Bento Box. Apparently, this is the “it place” to have lunch in London at the moment and it’s clear why. Not only was the presentation magnificent, the food was also perfectly selected not to leave any diner hungry at the end of the experience.
Here’s a look at the complete menu available for the Sakura at Sake No Hana:
Hanami Bellini Cocktail – Sparkling sake, Luxardo cherry liqueur, Heering cherry liqueur, lime, Tanqueray gin (£10)
Sakuratini Cocktail – Maraschino cherry liqueur; sake, vodka, Cointreau, cranberry juice, lime, orange bitters (£10)
Sakura Cherry Iced Tea – Marasca cherries, jasmine tea, lime (£5.50)
Sakura Tea – pot of tea made from the leaves of cherry blossom trees (£4.50)
Sakura Crystal Double-Layer Bento Box – served with a miso soup starter, the first layer of the box contains seven-spice chicken kuwayaki and spring salad with sesame dressing. The second sushi layer comprises salmon avocado, spicy tuna and California rolls, and chu-toro and salmon sashimi (£28)
Sakura Palet D’or – cherry-chocolate dessert with fresh cherries, nashi pear, almonds and ginger, and cherry blossom tea ice-cream made from the leaves of cherry blossom trees (£8)
Cherry blossom macarons – vanilla macarons with cherry blossom tea ganache (£1.60 each, 5 for £7)
We will say you must hurry and book in for the experience as the garden is only up through until the 19th of May. Even if you’re just stopping for a cocktail, this is a place to see and a place to be seen. Also makes for a damn good selfie. Who knew cherry blossoms were so flattering in shoefies and selfies alike. See you at Sake no Hana!
23 St James’s St, London SW1A 1HA
020 7925 8988
