Sake no Hana

Part of the Hakkasan Group (a now global group consisting of high-end restaurants, primarily focusing on Chinese cuisine), Sake no Hana - meaning 'sake flower' - offers modern Japanese cuisine in that most classy of districts, Mayfair. Being a great lover of Japanese cuisine (as well as the country - still my favourite place on Earth), I decided to book in to celebrate the end of exam season. Perhaps if exams don't go so well, I will look back on this and realise that I was a victim of my own hubris. Oh well. Onwards!

Guided up escalators by the front desk, Sake no Hana teems with cypress and bamboo furnishings, but is sparsely decorated so as to provide an airy, breathable, and light space. It's a good first impression. I sit at the counter, as it's always nice to see the chefs in action. The counter at Sake no Hana overlooks the sushi station, and one of the chefs there is preparing numerous uramaki (inside-out rolls) while I pore over the menu.

I start with the spicy maguro maki, six pieces of uramaki comprising chutoro (medium fatty tuna), tobiko (flying fish roe) and cucumber. While the rice is cool to the touch (suggesting the uramaki may not have been freshly prepared), there is nothing wrong with taste here, the spiciness cutting through and adding a lovely accent to the creamy texture of the tuna and roe. 

I have cherry iced tea alongside, consisting of maraschino cherries, sakura tea, and lime. The mild sweetness is incredibly soothing. 

For my main course, I have what Sake no Hana is perhaps most well-known for: Chilean sea bass with a champagne yuzu miso, and steamed rice on the side. Yuzu is a fruit similar to lemon, but with a less sour taste. I can see why this dish is so popular - the sea bass is cooked perfectly, the champagne yuzu miso never overpowering, but working in tandem with the sea bass. Exceptional. 

For dessert, I had the Japanese cheesecake with a strawberry and lime compote and sorbet. Japanese cheesecake is more like a soufflé in texture, an altogether different beast to the Cheesecakes commonly found in the UK. While the presentation was pleasant and the cheesecake well-prepared, I felt the strawberry and lime sorbet was a touch boring, as it didn't elevate the dessert. 

Value for Money? £88 for three courses and drink, including service charge. Yes. Sake no Hana provide well-prepared food with a good degree of imagination for most items on the menu. 

Would I return? Yes! I would be very interested to try the otoro nigiri, as well as the sake flight on offer.