Sushisamba a Japanese, Brazilian, and Peruvian restaurant, located in two places in London one on the 38th floor in the Heron Tower, close to Liverpool street tube station and one in Covent Garden. This restaurant also has branches in Miami, Las Vagas, and Amsterdam. Their very first restaurant was in New York in 1999 and they have never looked back!

This was a lunch I will never forget; my partner had booked a reservation for my birthday a couple months back. As most of you know I love eating out and well Sushisamba has been on my list for a very long time.

Sushisamba

We were greeted with a warm smile from the receptionist and waited for the lifts – I’m glad my partner chose the one with the view, although I must say we are both afraid of heights! So, to find the lifts see through was a little daunting to say the least!

Once we got to the 38th floor we were greeted with more friendly faces – one of them guided us to our table. We didn’t have a table by the window, which we were both happy about – we would have had funny feet throughout. The restaurant was spacious a little smaller than I expected but nevertheless creative, a huge shell hanging from the ceiling with light bulbs intertwined – burst of mango, red, lime and gold are prominent in the space.

Our waiter for the afternoon was Maloo she was friendly and very informative. We had the choice of 3 different menus – A La Carte, Taster Menu and the 3-course menu. As the A La Carte and the 3-course set menu looked inviting, we decided to order from both!

To start they gave us plantain crisps that was lightly salted, and the dip was exquisite, tasty and had a nice little kick at the end. We both chose from the 3-course menu at £36pp and we decided to choose one of Sushisamba’s popular dishes from the A La Carte – Samba London.

To start Asiel chose the WAGYU GYOZA kabocha purée – the flavours were out of this world, the meat was juicy and tender, I was a little jealous. I chose their SCALLOP SEVICHE mandarin leche de tigre, shiso, pickled mandarin – personally I wasn’t keen on the flavour – I think my eyes went straight to the scallops, which they gave a generous amount, the chilled dish was like a soup with a lot of pickled vegetables and an intense kick. 

When our mains arrived, we were surprised by the portion size. Asiel chose their TIGER MAKI tempura tiger prawn, crab meat, takuwan, wasabi tobiko, wasabi mayonnaise – the presentation was gorgeous with an eye-catching pink sauce drizzled over it, small bites of heaven and I love a good saucy dish. I chose the EL TOPO salmon, jalapeño, shiso leaf, crispy onion, spicy mayonnaise, fresh melted mozzarella – absolutely delicious the salmon melted in my mouth and the cheese created a creamy flavour – highly recommend! I had to ask for help to finish mine. We were really eating with our eyes as we were struggling to eat the Samba London – tuna, salmon, hamachi, avocado, asparagus, onion, hishiho miso, crispy yuba, yuzu dressing – a refreshing dish with a prominent citrus taste which held the dish together well. 

After our mains we wanted a bit of a breather, we wanted to admire the view – London looked beautiful that day and you could see into the distance. During our mains we didn’t have anything alcoholic, so we thought we’d treat ourselves by finishing the courses with a cocktail and a cognac (neat).

When our desserts arrived the portion sizes were just right. Asiel ordered the KUDAMONO EXOTIC FRUIT SALAD cherry crisp, watermelon granite, green tea gel – this was refreshing, and everything blended well together. I chose their MINI CHOCOLATE BANANA CAKE maple butter, plantain chip, vanilla rum ice cream – sweet, hints of rum – we cannot fault the food, we strongly recommend! 

Maloo surprised me with a birthday plate. There was a cute macaroon with ‘Happy Birthday’ written in chocolate. The service and the food truly made my birthday weekend. 

We enjoyed our drinks on the balcony where there was a bar that hugged a tree, overlooking the stunning views of London. My Lycée Cooler – Grey Goose Le Citron vodka, elderflower cordial and vanilla. Shaken hard with coconut cream and lychee water served in a long glass was aesthetic pleasing, refreshing and creamy with hints of lychee, this was delicious drink and I would have easily drunk more. I might have to try to make it myself, and of course Asiel loved his neat Cognac.

This was a lovely lunch gift from my partner, and I loved every moment of it! The dress code is smart casual, but I wore my black jumpsuit as I was waiting for a special occasion to wear it. Sushisamba city was the perfect location with amazing views, and the food was gratifying – what more could you want? They also offer a vegan menu and of course please let them know your dietaries as they are very attentive.