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Sake no Hana, St James’ Street Restaurant Review

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Sake no Hana, St James’ Street Restaurant Reviewexterrior Sake no Hana, St James’ Street Restaurant ReviewsushiCherries are one of my favourite fruits. As a child I loved picking the ripe, deep-red pearls from my grandparents’ garden as I continued to practice handstands on the same patch of fading green grass.

 

So when hearing of the new menu at Sake no Hana (part of the Hakkasan group) to celebrate the Japanese cherry blossom season, I was very much looking forward to the experience.

Sake no Hana, St James’ Street Restaurant Reviewcocktail

The evening promised a meal under sweet-smelling cherry blossom trees and behind the somewhat ordinary exterior, we were seated in the bar area, which was alight with blossoming pink flowers.

Sake no Hana, St James’ Street Restaurant Reviewfood

We would be dining from the new Sakura Gozen menu (£32) and to get our evening started, we sipped on the violet risshun two-part cocktail, with its fruity and sour blend that got the juices ready for the main.

 

It consisted of a carafe with jinzu gin, green chartreuse, grapefruit juice, shiso, burlesque bitters and in a miniature jug which accompanied the gin, there was belsazar rose vermouth, maraschino cherry, cranberry and lemon juice.

 

Oliver, the charismatic bar manager advised us to start with the jinzu gin before adding the vermouth and the combination stirred both a sweet and sour taste on the palette.

Sake no Hana, St James’ Street Restaurant Review asianfood

The white miso soup was steaming hot with slithers of spongy tofu and specks of spring onion. It was wholesome, with a hint of garlic and it was a pleasant starter to the evening.

 

Next, our waitress, Manon bought over the sesame spinach with cassava chips. The spinach was wonderfully slimy and the nutty sprinkle of sesame seeds contrasted with the texture of the wood flavours of the crispy cassava chips.

 

As it made its way to our table, I couldn’t help but wait in anticipation. The Sakura crystal box was simply beautiful. It consisted of kuro kampachi, salmon, seabream sashimi otoro, chu toro, akami nigiri, spicy tuna, salmon avocado and California maki.

 

The translation – succulent strips of prime, fresh fish encasing mouth-size nodules of rice, accompanied with strips of ginger and a green ball of hot wasabi.

 

The raw salmon and sea bream slithered on the tongue and both mine, and my fiancé’s favourite was the spicy tuna slice.

 

We thought the evening was over, until our waitress bought over the baked Sakura cotton cheesecake with fresh cherries, cream cheese and cherry sorbet (£8).

 

Just like the crystal box, the cheesecake was alluring with specks of sweet cherries, slices of crunchy pavlova and it was accompanied by the tangy cold taste of the cherry sorbet.

Sake no Hana, St James’ Street Restaurant Reviewdessert Sake no Hana, St James’ Street Restaurant Reviewdessertmacaroons

It cleansed the palette while the cherry blossom and vanilla macarons, with cherry blossom tea ganache, (£1.80 each or 5 for £8) was the perfect ending to a fine dining experience in the heart of Mayfair as each bite oozed a rich chocolate flavour in the mouth.

 

At the end of our meal, Oliver showed us around the Grade II listed restaurant just upstairs which boasts a £6 million renovation project.

 

Diners enter via a single escalator and as it’s considered bad luck to go back on yourself, the exit is via an escalator which loops around the other end of the restaurant.

 

I was impressed by the sheer number of customers on a Friday night and by the authentic Japanese decoration that included walls lined with bamboos.

 

The bar area where we dined was quieter and more intimate than the restaurant and we enjoyed a very fine meal in Mayfair (it’s also very reasonably priced), just around the corner from The Ritz.

 

 

Sake No Hana Celebrates Arrival Of Spring With Pop-Up Japanese Cherry Blossom Secret Garden

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From 7th April to 19th May Sake no Hana, the Japanese restaurant by the internationally acclaimed Hakkasan Group, will be celebrating the arrival of Spring and Japanese cherry blossom season with the launch of “Sakura at Sake no Hana”, a pop-up cherry blossom secret garden. Taking over the bar on St. James’s Street, “Sakura at Sake no Hana” will be a spectacular display of an abundance of pink cherry blossom enveloping the bar from floor to ceiling, entwining above and around guests while they enjoy limited-edition cherry blossom sake cocktails, bento boxes and desserts.

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Sake no Hana and renowned florist Veevers Carter designed the fantastical garden to capture the essence and ethos of Japanese cherry blossom season “sakura”, one of the most celebrated periods in the Japanese calendar. To enter the bar guests will step through a fairytale-like entrance, surrounded by interweaving branches and archways of lush blossom. Once inside, the creation focuses around two large cherry blossom trees – one either side of the bar – which reach up and encoil their branches above and around the bar creating an elaborate canopy effect, with blooms and branches intertwining the bamboo walls. Jo Malone blossom-scented candles will complete the sensory experience.

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Inspired by “sakura” and “hanami”, the centuries-old Japanese tradition of celebrating the fleeting annual cherry blossom season, “Sakura at Sake no Hana” offers guests in Mayfair the chance to enjoy the transient beauty of the flowers by sipping sakura sake cocktails at the blossom bar or by booking a table in the pop-up garden to indulge in a Japanese lunch with friends. Limited-edition items include:

 

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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)

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Guests at Sake no Hana at midday on Saturday 26th April will view the spectacle of “Kagami Biraki”, a time-honoured Japanese ceremony which entails the lid of a sake barrel being dramatically broken open by a wooden mallet before the sake is served in traditional cups. This will be accompanied by Japanese Taiko drummers with their captivating, high-energy, carnival-like performance.

 

 

“Sakura at Sake no Hana” limited-edition menu items available in the bar and restaurant from 7th April to 19th May, Monday to Saturday. Sakura crystal bento box available at lunch; sakura cocktails and desserts available at lunch and dinner. To book a table call 020 7925 8988 or email reservations@sakenohana.com.