Sake no Hana

I was very keen to check out this relative newbie from Alan "Wagamama" Yau. I had been warned that it was seriously expensive, but then again, the food was supposed to be worth it, and it would be nice to compare it with Cha Cha Moon

Food

The menu itself is divided into different cooking methods, rather than your traditional entrée/main…etc. You can pick and choose what you like to make your own meal. We weren’t sure how big the portions were, so we picked and chose from different parts of the menu based on what we thought we wanted to try. We had:

• Gandara Dream (£9.50) - Kumquats, Diplomatico Reserva rum, Don Julio Silver tequila, Umeshu plum liqueur, almond sugar and green tea - really yum, but not that different to the one I had at Ping Pong
• Virgin Daruma Yama (£4) - Nashi pear, fresh apple juice and Calpico - sweet, like eating nashi pears, and very refreshing. Probably too much ice for my liking.
• Japanese mountain yam with okra and cod roe (£6.50) - a great introduction to things to come. Delicate, crunchy yam paired with some subtle cod roe that adds a hint of saltiness. The okra added another textural layer, but there was so little of it I didn’t think it was probably more for decoration.
• Courgette flower tempura (£3) - beautiful crisp courgette with a delicate coating, and the most amazing dipping sauce. I wanted to pick up my bowl and drink the whole thing up.
• Soft-Shell Crab Salad with Wasabi Dressing (£9) - the crab itself was not that meaty, but it was fried to perfection, and the salad had this wonderful wasabi dressing.
• Sushi Nigiri Fatty tuna (£5) and Yellowtail (£4) - the yellowtail was a bit ordinary, but the fatty tuna was definitely a revelation…yum.
• Futomaki (£8.50) - this was nicer than your £2 sushi, with nice ingredients, but didn’t really wow at all. I blame myself for ordering this.
• Gomoku Rice (£5) - had no explanation on the menu, and we had to ask the waiter. She highly recommended it, and I agree it was one of the best rice dishes ever. Sushi rice combined with egg, shitake mushroom and a killer soy sauce.
• Steamed Sea Bream (£8.50) - ws delicately steamed in a sake broth. The sauce was very subtle, with some green soba as pairing, which again didn’t have much flavour. A little piece of carrot and mushroom made the dish looked cute.
• Shiso soufflé with soya ice cream (£6.50) - very nice flavour, like seaweed soufflé! The soya ice-cream tasted very watery…but the soufflé was enough.
• Warm chocolate torte with matcha ice cream (£6.50) - airy and light, with strong chocolate flavour. The matcha ice-cream was a bit small, so I didn’t taste much of it.

All in all, a very good meal that has come closest to reflecting the taste of the real Japan outside Japan.

Rating - 7.5

Atmosphere

Well, they have definitely nailed the wow factor. You enter through a reception area, decked out in black, with some red flower arrangement cutting through. You can go up some escalators to arrive at the main dining space. And it is really beautiful. Very high ceilings, with a lattice wood pattern acting as a focal point and serving a useful purpose as a noise dampener. We didn’t really need to worry about the noise though, as the place wasn’t even half filled, and we were quite spaced apart from the next table, so it is very comfortable. The tables themselves are divided into the conventional style, and also the Japanese sunken table style, which is never that comfortable but definitely looks good. It’s quite an adventure (a long adventure, so make sure you leave plenty of time) to go to the loo too. One more thing, the music was excellent, upbeat, but not disco like.

Rating - 3

Service

Lots of Asian looking wait-staff, with horrible looking uniform, kinda like a modern kimono look, but probably only looks good on models. I admire the staff as they have to take off their shoes every time they served us. Watching them balance a tray and take off their shoes and put it on without dropping anything was definitely entertaining. I was a bit disappointed they didn’t offer to explain the menu in terms of how much to order, and what some of the stuff were. We had to ask, and they offer nothing.

Rating - 2.5

C-factor

Sake No Hana definitely has the wow factor. From the opulent decor to the exquisite and delicate food. Just don't look at the bill or you will ruin your evening.. Our water was £4.50, but it was 800ml… so I guess that’s not too bad. If it wasn’t for our 50% toptable discount, this would be just about the most expensive meal ever, and we weren’t even that full!

Rating - 0

Brownie Points - 13

Info

23 St James's Street
London
SW1A 1LP
Phone +44 (0) 20 7925 8988
Website