We were looking for a quality Japanese restaurant to celebrate a birthday dinner, and when I found this one it sounded great... but they were all booked up for the evening when I tried to book a reservation. We decided to stroll over in person and see if it was a possibility anyway, and they were friendly and accommodating -- offered us a table as long as we could vacate in 1.5 hours (after which we could move to the bar area if we wished, which has open seating and full menu.) We got cocktails (the geisha one was very good) and opted for the Hana menu, a pre-set chefs menu that was just perfect. Everything on the menu was delicious, beautifully presented, and a great variety of food: sashimi, tempura prawns and vegetables, wagyu beef, eggplant, miso, a variety of sushi rolls, and dessert. Perfect amount of food and very luxurious. The only reason I dock one star is because it is pretty expensive (but any high-quality Japanese place is going to be pricey... this one is just a little more than average, with the most overpriced items being the wine, sake, and cocktails), but the service, atmosphere, and food were great. read more

Sake No Hana - The smoky plum negroni and fried eggplant - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

London Restaurant Month has come back around again so myself and some friends decided to take advantage. This years venue for us would be Sake No Hana, the little sister of Michelin starred Chinese restaurant, Hakasan. Sake No Hana is modern Japanese cuisine done very, very well. I'd had plenty of "Japanese" food in my life; sushi, chicken Katsu etc. I had never been to a proper Japanese restaurant and had high end food. This was my chance. The deal was as follows: 5 courses from a set menu and half a bottle of wine per person. All for the princely sum of £35 (excluding service). As you can see from the menu you pretty much get a choice of vegetables or fish. For my choices I had the maguro tartare to fukiyose, the fish gohan selection and kisetsu tempura moriawase. First off was the best miso soup I had ever had. On the menu it is misoshiro - white miso soup. A great, light starter to get your appetite going. With small strips of inari and seaweed. The next course was 3 small portions; a tuna tartare, fried rice ball and vegetable crisp "salad". Much like an amuse bouche, it continued the theme of getting us ready for the main course. The vegetable crisps were lovely; earthy and crunchy. It included carrots and lotus root, which I had never tried before but very much liked. The tuna tartare was fantastic. It was peppery and brilliantly seasoned. The rice balls were a little stodgy but the accompanying sauce was sweet and rich. Next was the sushi course. 6 pieces, 2 each of spicy maguro maki (spicy tuna, tobikio and cucumber), chirashi maki (salmon, white fish and shiitake) and inari maki (fried tofu and caramelised onions). As you can see it was beautifully presented and it wasn't long before they'd all been polished off! The main for me was tempura prawn and vegetables. Crispy and not at all greasy, this was the best tempura I'd ever had. I especially enjoyed the squash which was nice and sweet with that perfect crispy exterior. Both of my friends had the salmon. There's not a lot to say about it other than it was served on a large leaf and cooked absolutely perfectly. Dessert was the same for all of us. A delicate sponge cake soaked in a syrup and served with preparations of peach; raw, sharp peach, raw, soft, sweet peach and peach sorbet. I was a big fan of this. So much so that when one of my friends wasn't keen I ate his too! Sake No Hana is a wonderful, modern restaurant with fantastic food and brilliant attentive staff. My glass, wine or water, never ran dry and they were always on hand to help. In fact, I don't think I've ever been to a restaurant that had such a high customer to staff ratio! It's definitely a dining experience I would recommend even if it's not one that I would probably do again. Nothing against the restaurant at all, more that I like to explore and try new things. If you can visit Sake No Hana on a tasting menu or similar you would be silly not to give it a go! Either that or at least go to their amazing bar! read more

Sake No Hana - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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It's been a while since I've been to Sake No Hana, but I went back last weekend to their bar, where they were celebrating the Japanese cherry blossom season by decking out their entire bar with pink cherry blossoms. Quite a sight! There was also a special sakura season menu, with cherry blossoms and cherries featuring in drinks and desserts, as well as a double layer bento box for lunch. If you go, do see if they have a double layer bento box, as it was quite a sight and even tastier to eat! One layer of scrumptious sushi and sashimi, and the other with the two hot courses. Desserts were amazing, although slightly too rich for my tastes but if you like chocolate you would definitely enjoy. Cocktails were well crafted, and service was excellent. The best thing though about Sake No Hana is that while it is just moments away from the hustle and bustle of Piccadilly, it was like an oasis of tranquility, made even more so by the pop-up sakura garden for these few weeks. read more

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the restaurant is split into 2 floors. a sushi and sake bar on the ground floor and a huge circular dining hall upstairs. upon arrival we were ushered upstairs via a broken down escalator! it was only later that i discovered that they do have a working lift albeit a very very slow one!! but once you have scaled the steep ascend, what you see will wow you. to me, the interior design was like a page off the wallpaper magazine! a mixture of tatami and table seating is available. top table had a 50% offer, so we ordered with gusto. the king crab with kanisu jelly was great. sweet plump pieces of extracted crab meat served with jelly and on a bed of kelp. a nice play on the colour, texture and taste. the berkshire pork katsu was well fried yet tender to the bite. the cod kamameshi was well cooked. the grains of rice were well flavoured by the fatty cod. the bento sets were both very pretty. served in several nice wooden boxes on a lacquered tray. all visually attractive and palate satisfying. my sushi set was also of above average standard though not the best out there. desserts however were a big letdown as they were very western style influenced and not at all japanese ones. and for those with a toilet fetish, no meal is complete here without taking the snail lift to their beautiful toilets located in the basement. so serene, it's almost worth 2 trips down there!:) read more

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My visit in May was after their recent revamp and new menu. All seating is now table (no tatami). I found the decor pleasantly simple and upscale. We had a wide variety of cooked dishes and sushi/sashimi and most everything was excellent, with great presentation and attention to quality, detail, and flavor. Memorable were 3 style agedashi tofu and seared tuna and green tea soba salad. Fish was fresh and handrolls nicely made. Quite pricey, though we ordered a lot - with only a few drinks and one dessert, over 80 quid a head. Too bad no more toptable promotion. Service was friendly, efficient, and accomodating, though our waiter's english is still a work in progress. read more

Sake No Hana - toro sashimi - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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We came for lunch and truly enjoyed the 7 course sharing. Truly, I am unable to tell you the names of all the courses because they were in Japanese and I don't speak the language. There were some courses I enjoyed more than others, but none that I disliked. The menu comes with a cocktail of choice and a fine bottle of champagne. I got mint and cucumber martini like cocktail based on our server's recommendation. It was light and refreshing, not heavy on the mint with a hint of cucumber. My main course was the chicken dinner with egg mustard sauce and truffle rice. The chicken was so tender, didn't need a knife. Other highlights of the meal included tempura shrimp in wasabi cream sauce along with many varieties of sushi. And then there was dessert! Bamboo dessert with white chocolate inside. Break it open. A sweet cream drizzles out and the bamboo itself is edible white chocolate. Wow!!! Unfortunately we didn't have time to linger as we had a plane to catch so we were rushed by the end. And we had been there for 2 hours!!! Service was exceptional so it's not that they were slow. It's that there is so much food to enjoy and savor. I would say plan on a 3 hour amazing experience to truly relax and savor. read more

Sake No Hana - Bamboo white chocolate. - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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The decor and the atmosphere can really distort ones taste buds especially when the dishes are so elegantly presented as well. Sake No Hana was a bit like that. I was left in awe the whole time I was there stunned by the beautiful venue, Green Park prestigious location, the live sushi bar but mostly by the temporarily Sakura pop up bar where the whole of downstairs was decorated artfully with artificial cherry blossoms. For the first day opening of the Sakura bar they even invited two Japanese drummers to play a traditional opening ceremony which was a stunning performance, greatly synchronised playing with great attention to detail. For that alone I would give it 5 star. They also ended generously with the breaking of the sake barrel where everyone present was offered a cup of sake and although very diluted it was very a traditional act and much appreciated. Better were the special cocktails on offered which included the Hanami Bellini Cocktail and Sakuratini cocktail. I did slightly preferred the latter for it's sweeter taste although both had a good depth and lovely notes of flavour. Without this event though I doubt our lunch experience would have been that spectacular. For it's location food pricing was soaring high but sadly the quality of the food did not match it. It seems that more attention was placed on the presentation rather than the cooking and flavours. We decided to start with the special menu offered and went for the special Sakura Crystal Double Layer Bento Box to share. It came with a miso soup starter which was definitely a higher quality than your usual fast food miso soup- more smoother with a nice rounded flavour and not just salty. The box also contained seven-spice chicken kuwayaki which was overcooked especially around the edges which meant it lost most of it's tenderness and became dry and dense. The flavour was hardly original bur rather like any yakitori flavouring, I definitely couldn't remember tasting the seven spices in there. I much preferred the fresh crunches of the nicely marinated broccoli with sesame dressing. It was paired with deep fried lotus which could have been anything deep fried as you could no longer taste the lotus. The second layer comprised of the sushi which was more successful. I very much enjoyed the quality of the salmon sashimi, fresh, rich and clean cut. As much as I enjoyed the texture of the rolls and the quality of fillings ( salmon avocado, spicy tuna and California rolls, and chu-toro) the rice was not sticky enough and was falling apart. I do expect a much higher quality for the price of £28. Barely filling our stomachs we went for the Taste of Sake No hana set menu and chose the red miso soup to start which came with yam croquettes. These were too soften for my liking and lost all it's yam taste it was barely recognisable. We both preferred the white miso as this one lacked the smoothness and creaminess. Still it was enjoyable and a different miso tasting. For mains we chose the salmon teriyaki which which could have been better if it was cooked slightly less so it was still pink inside. Being cooked slightly more than it had to meant it lost it's buttery texture although still nice as it was. But the problem was there was no originality in this dish either and something I could have ordered at another Japanese restaurant for half the price. I do believe most of what we paid for was the way it was presented, on a hoba leaf above a little charcoal stove. I'm glad on the side we also ordered the sesame fried aubergine and fig which actually was one of the highlight dishes of the meal. This is where creativity sparked in terms of flavour and actually worked. I very much enjoyed the sweetness of the figs against the fried aubergine smothered nicely in a lovely rich, savoury, nutty flavoured sesame paste. It was all nicely balanced nicely with a light salad on top too. Delightful. We finished on desssert. The Matcha pannacotta with kumquat yuzu and pistachio was very zingy and creamy although I felt there was not enough sweetness to balance it. It was one of those dishes that was great to look at but taste didn't match. Luckily we ended on another joy which were the skilfully crafted vanilla macaroons with cherry blossom tea ganache. They were slightly more crunchy on the outside but still falling into a light creamy filling. A very nice finish to the meal. Although it was a very enjoyable meal most of it was due to the surrounding factors of the restaurant itself rather than it's food. We did manage to find some great dishes in there but sadly not enough to recommend or return any time soon on an ordinary day. However we will be more than happy to return yearly for its celebration of the Sakura season just for an insight of the traditional Japanese culture. I would love to see the drum performance again as words cannot describe the energy and care that went into it. A big well done for getting that organised. read more

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My partner and I visited for lunch, and we enjoyed the innovative Japanese cuisine very much. Their wine list was nicely put together. Service was professional, yet, still friendly. Visiting during the day was a great way to see Japanese architect Kengo Kuma's inspiring space in natural light. One can make a reservation using Bookatable, or, Square Meal, and get instant confirmation. Would I go back? Yes. read more

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The service was fantastic the food was amazing the sushi was fresh and so was the drink was very tasty I highly recommend this place read more

Sake No Hana - I had here a California roll and a fatty tuna - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

Recently I went along to Alan Yau's latest Japanese themed restaurant that also won Time Out's Best Restaurant for Design. It looks impressive, yet I have to say the overall experience disappointed and I'd rather spend the money at more traditional places like Sushi Say. The design Taking over what looks like the first two floors of an office lobby, you enter via automatic round doors guarded by a bouncer into a rather non de script lobby. We almost missed the place with tiny small lettering only visible when you're standing almost right next to it. To your left as you enter, is a less formal sushi bar, with the dining room accessible by a set of two tiny escalators moving up and down. You check in at the tiny desk at the front before a an attendant seats you at the bar while you wait for your table. The tiny escalators, perhaps intentionally designed to induce a claustrophobic sensation, take you to an even tinier corridor. The dining room sits underneath an array of light wooden square frames creating sharp and contrasting options with soft yellow lights casting their glow in the circular dining room. Around the outside perimeter of the building, diners sit at more traditional tables where they need to remove their shoes before seating, with the inside used to host regular tables and chairs. Though impressive looking, I'm really not so sure why they got voted the best design as I've seen better at other places. The service For a place that should have been astonishing with their service, I'm afraid these people are still practicing. I was already put off by being made to wait at the bar when the restaurant was clearly empty, and I'm sure our table clear. Instead we were made to wait at small tables near the bar, until we ordered. We asked for tap water, that they ended up serving in a tiny 200mL glass. I wouldn't have worried so much except that they didn't give us a jug and the attendants only refilled them once throughout the night, despite the sodium rich food leaving you wanting more liquid. I'm sure that had we been paying their £3.75 per bottle of water, or more for wine, they would have been better. When the food arrived, it somehow took two people to serve the samll plates of food each time - one to hold it, the other to put it and present it on the table. The final straw was when it took at least fifteen minutes for them to bring the bill after asking for it specifically and giving up trying to make eye contact with at least one attendant in another fifteen minutes. The food Since they opened, it's obvious that they have listened to the feedback offered by numerous reviewers. Unlike before, the menu is now roughly grouped into different areas like fried, grilled, stewed, appetisers, and the dishes significantly larger than the others marked as for 2 or for 3. Their menu still lacks descriptions so be prepared to be very adventerous, read up before going, or already know a lot of Japanese dishes. Having eaten at many Japanese places, I didn't really know what to expect from a number of them, although I could take some rough guesses. We tried a few new dishes including the sesame aubergine, tempura figs with yuzu salt and the soft pork ribs. Out of them, I'd have to say the ribs were the best that, although not fall of the bone soft, were actually pretty easy to eat even with chopsticks. The meat was sweet with the vegetables served with it providing lots of flavour. The tempura figs provided a sharp contrast to the strongly flavoured citrus infused salt. I can't say that the dishes, as good as they were are worth the money you pay for at this restaurant. Conclusion I get the feeling most people dine here to see and be seen. As much as a unique Japanese experience Yau wanted to create, I'd rather go to a proper Japanese restaurant than return to a place that obviously still has teething problems. read more

Sake No Hana - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

Service is beyond terrible. You'd get better service at a MacDonald's. Went with three colleagues for a work dinner. Waiting 15 min for someone to ask us if we'd like a drink. A full 30 min for the cocktails to arrive. No one bothered to refill wine glasses until I literally stood up and tapped the waitress on the shoulder and asked her to do so. Same for taking our food order - literally had to flag them down. All while, they were busy re-setting tables for the next table turn. Outrageous. read more

Sake No Hana is part of the growing Hakkasan empire (Yauatcha, Hakkasan, Naamyaa Cafe & HKK and other laces - all created by Alan Yau, also the man behind Wagamama and Busaba Eathai) and Sake No Hana is as many of the other places nice and sleek in its design. There is a small bar by the entrance, looked nice so will visit some time, but we were going to the restaurant and to get there one has to take a small escalator up. There were huge number of staff everywhere and I think 8 or 9 people greeted us before we had walked to our seats. The dining room is really nice, the tables are in light wood, the ceiling is high and we were coming in as the sun was setting so we first got to see it being very light and bright and when the sun set the lighting was adjusted to create a really nice atmosphere. We were having the set 4 course menu with a glass of sparkling for £29 so was a bit hesitant what to expect, especially after going for a similar set meal at Benares a few weeks earlier which was a real disappointment. Here it did start of well though with attentive service and the glass of sparkling was served quickly. One in our group wanted to exchange it for something non-alocholic and that was no problem so good service. The menu as such consisted of a soup (choice of two different), a main (choice of four different), sushi (choice of two different selections) and the dessert of the day. I started of with the white miso soup with mushrooms. It was a delightfully light flavor with plenty of mushrooms so a very good start. It was followed by a chicken sukiyaki that was really good, a good mix of juicy chicken, great sauce, onion, spring onions, mushroom and tofu. I then went for the vegetarian sushi option and it was a huge dish (same went for the regular sushi) so I was getting very stuffed already. Tasted good, a nice spiciness to it as well. The dessert of the day was a raspberry creation filled with chocolate and served with lychee ice cream. I could recognize the style from the desserts at Yauatcha and the it was really great in taste here as well. This was also surprisingly big so we were rather stuffed. Did also try some cocktails, the ones we tried were very good so may actually drop in just for a drink in the future as the location is good and I liked the ambiance of the place. Service was in a sense very good, we had people there the instant we wanted it and there were a few things messed up but they quickly managed to fix things so cannot really fault them. It did however seem like the service was a bit anxious, when something went wrong five people apologized for it and the I think we were asked around 10 times if everything was ok so I think they would benefit from a relaxing a bit more. Still did like the place and would be happy to return both for food and cocktails. read more

Sake No Hana - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

If I was the manager I'd sack the entire front of house team and start again. So why 3 stars and not zero? Mostly because the food was first class, fully deserving of the price point. The service was more in line with what you find in a tourist fry dive around the corner in Victoria. Our problems began at arrival. Sake No Hana is in a strange building, where the dining room is upstairs. So they deploy someone to "announce" you on arrival to avoid people milling around upstairs. Fair enough - if the person doing the job was neither arrogant or conceited and instead polite. But, er, not so much. Worse, the person who is supposed to cover the door also does the coat check... which is ridiculous. So you turn up for lunch and get to watch someone overwhelmed talk on the phone to announce someone else's arrival while wasting your time. This is beneath what we expect at this price point. Once in the dining room, the food is of very high quality. One cannot fault the execution, and the menu is broad in option. Ingredient quality is first class. On food alone, this is one of London's best. So lots to like. But... The same crew that man the door also man the tables. And good luck to you, because these guys don't do service. We waited a good while to place our order... which was not complex. Then we waited another 45 minutes for our starters. And then.. another 40 minutes for our mains. During this period, the staff were simply invisible. At £50/head for lunch (or more) this is a joke. Absent service is totally fine in a place operating at a third the price point, but not acceptable at one that is supposed to be a 5 star option. Any of Nobu, Itsu, or Yo Sushi crush these guys on service. I won't be back until the service staff are gone. read more

Came here when a friend was visiting and toptable had a 50% off food bill. This is the one of the few times I've had Japanese in London (given that I'm really picky with it and most Japanese places here seem to be crap), and I was kind of excited to eat at a reputable Japanese restaurant. I think even if I got to go back with the 50% again, I wouldn't. Let's break it down. The actual place is gorgeous. Reception/coat check is done at the base of an escalator (black marble, chandelier), which brings you up to the dimly lit, minimalistic, wood laiden dining area. Staff are all very polite and professional, and you sit on tatami. The big wooden tables are beautiful, as is the general feel of the place. The food -- if you come here really craving some quality Japanese food, go somewhere else and save your wallet the pain. Presentation is beautiful, and the menu had a decently wide selection of dishes, but in comparison to the atmosphere and price, the food is mediocre. I tried a lot of stuff on the menu -- the sashimi, rolls, beef udon, crab, teriyaki salmon, tempura, etc... and wasn't really impressed with anything. I also tried several of their desserts. I was quite excited about the exotic fruit plate, but the waitress couldn't even tell me what half the stuff on there was, and none of it actually tasted ripe. Sake menu, however, is pretty good, but I'm still not up for paying the set price. For 5 people, our bill came to be about over £40/person, and that's AFTER 50% deduction. Come here if you have money to waste or if you're dying to impress gold digger types with no familiarity with Japanese food. Or you can just pay me a small fee and I'll refer you to good places. read more

Outstanding sushi in a brilliant space. Located in an unassuming building this restaurant is fitted with beautiful woods and almost-traditional Japanese seating (some seating areas allow you to sit on pillows). Walk upstairs to a beautiful dinning room or choose the sushi bar on the ground level. At night the light scheme reflects off the wood laced ceiling and creates a warm yet modern ambiance. The restrooms are quite cool too. The fish is of highest quality and the menu allows for some exploration. Miso & tea is boiling hot (just as it should be) but wasabi was on the light side. Good service and friendly staff. I suggest watching the sushi bar at least once... the chef hierarchy is fully in force here and watching the bar is a cultural experience in of itself. read more

With having eaten great food at sister restaurants HKK and Ayuatcha, I have become a bit of a fan of Alan Yau. Sake No Hana did not disappoint either and there is a great Yelp check-in offer to get you into the mood for food! 29£ for a four course menu and a glass of sparkling. The restaurant is absolutely beautiful! Decorated in a subtle Japanese style, with light flooding in from the lengthy windows, there is a warm dignity to the place. It is worth visiting just for the ambiance. We arrived just before dusk, so we got to see the space both bathing in daylight and candlelit dark. Someone had really done their job well with thinking of the look of this place. About the food: We happily went for the set offer menu called "Taste of Sake No Hana". It sounds a bit like there's not that much food, but boy was I stuffed after all four courses. We had around two/ three options to choose from for every course. Only the dessert was "un-choosable" and a surprise, only described as the "dessert of the day". We started off with a white Miso soup, with mushrooms. The hot soup was an excellent first course, heating us up after stumbling in from the freezing March weather. And the taste was good too =)! We continued with some nice tender Chicken Sukiyaki with spring onion and mushrooms and my sister, who is mainly a vegetarian (except for eating seafood) tried out the prawn and vegetable tempura. All of us were happy with our dishes. The third dish was a set of Futomaki and Gomoku Inari sushi. The maki-rolls were huge, and who ever complained about there being too much rice (in an earlier Yelp review) had clearly gotten the message trough. There was only a thin belt of rice surrounding the fresh mix of fish and vegetables. The Gomoku Inari sushis were "cakes" of rice" covered with tofu. Boy where they yummy, very full in taste! The Dessert of the day looked familiar, it was a beautiful raspberry-covered chocolate cake. I remember drooling after it at Ayuatchas dessert counter. It came with some fresh lychee ice cream, that did not impress as a companion to the full chocolate notes, but was delicious on its own. It just made me wonder slightly if they had sent all the leftover cakes from Ayuatcha to be served as dessert at this place. It was just a thought, the cake was anyway very good. About the drinks: Our menu came with a nice glass of sparkling to start with. It was an a-ok Prosecco. I am more of a cava girl (and constantly disappointed at the dominance of Prosecco here in the UK), so I was not that impressed. But hey, it was inclusive in the menu, no Finn will turn down alcohol. We also tried a few drinks of the cocktail menu. I had a delicious gin-based drink with ginger juice, grapefruit, vanilla and chili served in a pretty, tall martini glass. It was excellent! Not easy on the chili, but that's how I like it. I could definitely imagine coming to the bar just for a few of these drinks. There was a lot on the menu to choose from. About the service: There was a lot of staff for an early Monday dinner. Perhaps as it was Easter. We received very friendly service from all the staff. The manager (whom I recognised from being a regular at Ayuatcha) came also to check on everything being ok. Our waiter fumbled a bit with the food, but it did not bother us as he apologised and cleaned up quickly. There were even a bit too many apologies during the evening for the small mistake =). read more

Sake No Hana - Beautiful interior at Sake No Hana - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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Pretty pricy and posh, but also very good. I came alone and ate at the bar, which is the best seat as you can watch the chefs prepare gorgeous sushi. The waiters were friendly and good, but perhaps not 5-star. The sushi was amazing! The black cod very nice. The aubergine and fig dish was good, but not great. The mochi ice cream was super. All in all a good experience. The venue and location are both great. read more

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Sake no hana is the Japanese restaurant of the Hakkasan family, and as all the others it never disappoints you with the atmosphere and the quality of food. Had been here a few times in the past and came back on Friday with some friends. We had a lot of food to share, 2 tempuras, 5 kind of sushi rolls (some very innovative and unusual but supertasty, like the mango one) and the marinated black cod. I love black cod and this one was really smooth and tasty and it comes in 3 small portions. We drank a very good gewürztraminer from Alsace. Very good wine and spirits list and really stylish the piece of ice that they serve with liqueurs, I had to take a picture of it as it was really big! (they have a lot of Italian liqueurs from different regions that are almost impossible to find in London) Overall it is not cheap (we paid £50 each), but the food is good, the restaurant is nicely decorated and the service is very good, as in all the sister restaurants. Worth a visit per month or so. PS. good to impress someone for a date or a business lunch read more

I didn't have dinner here but I went for a drink or two. Not only is the food good (I hear) but Its bar staff know how to make a martini properly. I could tell the bartender recognised there is an art to making a martini because at the end of the evening, despite making my group many different cocktails, he asked how the martini was and if he had made it well. I particularly enjoyed the modern Japanese design and the music was great. Don't forget your money tho, all of it. read more

As Margaret D.'s dining companion during our Sake No Thank You experience, I just thought I'm chime in to corroborate her review. Bottom line: the food was not even remotely worth the price. Forget upscale, the seaweed salad was gross. The roasted miso aubergine has potential, but the half inch of congealed miso on top was seriously overpowering. As for the sushi, if the best I can say is "it wasn't bad" that's not exactly a strong endorsement. Add on top of it the poor service we received just sealed the deal for being one of the worst dining experiences ever. The manager seemed very young, but even so, working at a restaurant like Sake No Hana, I would expect management to be prepared to hear polite but critical feedback on a poor dining experience. Frankly it was just insulting that he basically gave us a £10 "discount" as compensation. We still ended up paying almost £100, which just makes me angry to think about. I just went to Whole Foods and paid £6.99 for a sushi roll, and am infinitely happier than I was last night. Save your money - go somewhere good! read more

The space is absolutely gorgeous - all bamboo and minimal decor with low tables even lower lights and cozy booths. The waitstaff are all gorgeous to match and wear sexy little outfits. Oh and the food! I loved it - husband and I ordered a pretty diverse array of sashimi, seaweed salad, king crab sunomono, miso chilean seabass and some veggies that have slipped my mind. We found all of the food to be delicious and very fresh, definitely top quality. We had a few glasses of delicious sake as well and an excellent night was had! Don't be dismayed when you first enter and you find a very quiet space with only the hostess before you. You'll be led up the escalator to a very happening scene upstairs! read more

one of my fav restaurants in mayfair to have sushi lovely decor amazing food and good service' always happy to go back recommend it! read more

Sake No Hana - Nice mojito@Sake no Hana - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

On arrival of the restaurant, I wasn't sure which one was the entrance. On the one side it looks completely dead! I wondered whether it was the right restaurant as there were no signs. Then I saw someone entering the restaurant from the other side and that's where the main entrance is! I felt a little embarassed looking lost on St James' Street on a Sunday evening, staring into the empty restaurant (I believe that is opened for lunch only). Our friend was over an hour late so we were being sat by the bar until the last person appears. They did however asked if we would want to sit by the table to wait but luckily we didn't choose that option as everyone was tucking into good food. Once our friend arrived, all tables were taken so it's completely understandable that our table won't be available immeditately. The host constantly came over to inform us that a table will be available once the diners have finished their desserts. We only had to wait for an extra 30mins! We ordered a good amount of food since we got the 40% discount through Toptable. The food was amazing! The 3 kind sashimi plate is the freshest I've had in London so far. Really enjoyed the Dragon roll, eel avocado and tobiko caviar roll, the Crunchy king crab roll and the Salmon and crab roll with wasabi mayonnaise. They were absolutely delicious! The Chicken Sake as well as the Black Cod in Miso were breath taking! My only disappointment was the Yellow Tail dish. The fish was fried and bland... although the only flavour could taste is how fishy it was. I thought it was me but my friends who also dined with me didn't enjoy that dish. I wouldn't recommend it. The service is a bit slow and was really amazed how busy it was on a Sunday evening. We didn't leave till about 11.30pm and there were still a few occupied tables. Another downside was that I was really looking forward to the white chocolate pistachio mousse but it was sold out! Really gutted! I had a really good experience and unless you have a bit of £££ to treat yourself, you should do so. We never looked at the bill properly and was charged full price. We only noticed it this morning but as we were that satisfied with our food that evening, we were happy to pay £60pp! We had a 4 course meal including services/tips so we think that's really good for this kind of restaurant. I suppose the bill would have came up higher if we all ordered alcohol! read more

The food was average and the service sub par. They were a half hour late seating us, it took an hour to get our food, they forgot to bring out our drinks. Oh and they charged at 13% auto gratuity. I wouldn't come back here. read more

Discussing and overpriced.... The service is ok and at least the place is beautiful! You really don't want to go to this place! (And we had to wait 25 minutes to get our table!) read more

Very nice modern Japanese food. The sushi roll were fine but the main dish (grilled Chinese and Salmon) were amazing. The restaurant is beautiful, very well decorated and service is great. read more

With the toptable 50% off, it's almost affordable. My friend and I got two fruity drinks at about £4 a pop (note: they are FILLED to the brim with crushed ice, so really it's about a shot glass worth of elixir you're consuming... so sip-slowly). We had the mixed seaweed salad, which was A-OK, the three-way tofu, which was perfect to share, and with bold flavours against the delicacy of the silk tofu, the sake no hana roll, which i will absolutely recommend, though the rolls, in general, seem to have plenty girth, so plan to savour one pick in a couple of bites, the ponzu butter baked crab, which at £25 a pop was succulent but ended up being too much to savour on top of the salmon avocado roll (beautifully executed), the rice dish which i do not remember what it was called, but it was p l e n t y to share. Couldn't let the dessert pocket empty, so ordered the hazlenut ganache pyramid, and the chocolate wafer fingers, which are such a sight, and a delicate taste. I think these were both at around £7 or £8 a pop. The chocolate wafer fingers taste better after they've warmed up a bit, otherwise if you try to sink your spoon/fork in, you'll end up breaking them in many shattered pieces. Our waitress was really good, and she suggested we remove a couple of items from our original order, as she was afraid it would be too much for us to consume... boy, was she right! the restaurant itself is very sleek, you can have a decent conversation, and not feel cramped. beautiful space filled with people that do appreciate it! Look forward to going back! read more

Sake No Hana has been on my must visit list ever since I saw it on SilverSpoon London's blog at the start of this year. It's a little more out of my price range for a regular dinner but via OpenTable you can get a great 5 course Taste of Sake No Hana menu including glass of prosecco for £29 per person which is great for a special occasion. The first course was, of course, a traditional white miso soup - shiro misohiru which oddly came with no spoon. Instead we started off trying to eat it delicately with chopsticks before giving up and slurping it down. It was much lighter than other miso soups that I'd had before and slightly less salty which was nice. We then had a starter of prawn or vegetable tempura and while the portions were quite small they were cooked to perfection. The batter was deliciously light and crispy instead of soggy and there was a wide range of veggies used including asparagus (my fave!) which makes a nice change from the usual boring offerings at Yo!Sushi of carrot, onion and aubergine. Next was the sushi course, I went for the fishy version while Victoria opted for the vegetarian. So many people think that sushi has to involve raw fish and that's really not true at all. Some of my favourite kinds of sushi are the ones with no meat in it, avocado maki rolls for a start. Anyway, I digress the sushi at Sake no Hana was utter perfection and I didn't want it to end. You could tell that it had been freshly handrolled right before serving. For main there was a choice between salmon hoba teriyaki (Char-grilled salmon on hoba leaf with teriyaki sauce), Yukki Dori Sumiyaki (Char-grilled organic chicken with pickled courgette) or Agedashi tofu toban (Tofu and aubergine in dash broth). I of course chose the salmon and my dining companion went for the chicken. The presentation of these dishes was exceptional and almost too good to eat. Only almost though and what followed was some of the most perfectly cooked fish I have ever had. The little crisps that it came with gave a wonderful texture to the dish and although I was struggling I made sure I ate every last morsel. Finally it was time for dessert and I have to say I was bitterly disappointed. When Lifestyle Lauren went just a few weeks before us the signature dessert was a delicious looking mango pannacotta. For us it was a still beautiful to look at slice of apple tart tatin but if there is one thing I really don't like its hot fruit based desserts. Sorry! The Taste of Sake no Hana menu is really great value for money. The food is of exceptional quality and the atmosphere is lovely too so I really recommend it even despite my dislike of the dessert ;) read more

Great Japanese restaurant with a wonderful menu and some of the usual favorites just made a little better! Everything served with absolute attention to detail and service like you are the only human alive. This is a place i will be back to! read more

Having a dearth of experience in London Japanese cuisine, I am at a loss on how to review this venue according to local examples. Using New York for comparison is unlikely fair - so stepping it down a notch or two, I'll use equivalent venues in Chicago might be more appropriate. If I were to do that, I'd give it 3 stars, as above. And what does that mean? Quality is fairly good, and the vibe is very posh. Alcohol selection contains some high end, widely available sakes, with the majority of the list actually wine/champagnes rather than more traditional pairings. Pricing is scaled to London High Street, which is appropriate given that that is where it is located- but leaves the N. American diner a bit put out given that the price is higher than what is used to for equivalent fair, even in NYC. Service was passable but without the attention to detail one might expect at equivalently priced pure-Japanese service. Overall, passable and mediocre. (I do love clay pot rice - this is available here - even with black truffles; but it was uninspiring, even with the truffles... more's the pity) read more

This was my first visit to one of the Hakkasan restaurants and on this basis I'd definitely give it another go. Overall the food was good, the tasting menu reasonable priced and the service was fantastic. Having to get the lift down to the basement for a trip to the toilet was a bit weird but not odd enough to be too much of a distraction. Food wise could be slightly hit and miss. The miso soup was pretty average (I've never found one that was any more than this to be honest) but the salmon and tuna sushi was fantastic and the wasabi had enough of a kick to make sure you are careful with the quantity. For mains the salmon teriyaki was far superior to the miso chicken (probably the worst thing I tasted) and the dessert was incredibly strange. I went for a sesame panna cotta with mango sorbet. On it's own the panna cotta was not pleasant at all but when you combined everything on the spoon it just worked. It's that kind of dish that makes me want to go back. read more

Sakenohana (sake no hana?) is a cross of low-key minimalism and architectural kitsch. In other words, it's a very western eastern-restaurant/bar. The space is flawless, using natural materials and light wood and bamboo. You almost forget how awkward the space is. The entrance is on the first floor, and you must take an escalator to the main dining room. Have to use the restroom? You'll have to take an escalator three floors down. The entire experience is a bit dizzying. The food, however, is phenomenal. Small, overpriced dishes of deliciously fresh sushi and sashimi. The drinks are also delightful, and go along well with the space. One piece of advice: don't forget to wear nice socks, you'll be required to take off your shoes. read more

The design and decor is absolutely stunning, I'd go back just for that, as the Japanese feel makes for a feeling of sitting in a room full of art. However, I mark this down as it is the food which at the end of the day why any of us go to restaurants, will not deny the food was very flavourful indeed and done with much style and flare... only problem was no one explains the menu properly. Which means you could end up paying a lot for very, very little. As the meals to not come come combined.. like a rice dish with meat. Oh no, you order each part of your meal individually. Therefore, if you are not clued up about this you could be still very hungry by the time the bill comes and seriously out of pocket. read more

One of the best Japanese restaurants in London in my opinion, a traditional and modern set up. Sake no Hana impresses with its own flair, high ceilings & interesting seating options and with plenty of room. The tatami tables are well set apart and the overall atmosphere was very good. Food at Sake No Hana was excellent, particulary the sesame aubergine, the blue swimmer crab, the black cod rice and avocado sushi roll, and all of the sashimi. We ordered many different dishes and shared everything, dishes arrived as and when they were ready, which meant for a steady flow of delights. This is however not your usual sushi haunt but expect intelligent compositions of taste and presentation. There are excellent cocktails on the menu, although a bit pricey, and even I managed to have 4 during the course of the meal. The waiters were a bit over attentive and I overheard some diners say they feel hurried by the constant attention from the waiters. The one negative is that the restaurant is on the 1st floor and the toilets in the basement, there is a lift but also a constant queue outside it. Overall a lovely experience if you like grazing and have a small crowd of people together. read more

I went here on a TopTable deal, which is the only reason I'm not giving it a lower score. Everything was nice - but not '£28-for-a-30g-piece-of-miso-infused-seabass-in-a-banana-leaf' nice. The restaurant itself is beautiful, but I can't tell you how annoying it is to have to take a lift to the toilets. My 'excursion' took 20 minutes and left my dining partner with a nearly cold main. Our bill for two after the 50% off of food (no discount on drinks naturally) came to £140. Not worth it. (And what's with having tiramisu on the dessert menu? Not even a Japanese-inspired one. Just run-of-the-mill normal Italian tiramisu. Bizarre) read more

Apart from the great interior and setting, Sake No Hana offers great food as well. I went there a few weeks ago with 3 other friends. We had some tuna sashimi, braised unai with egg, mixed tempura, soft shell crab roll, sake monkfish kara age and a fish rice of some sort all really impressive, the soft shell crab roll has an outer layer of cucumber which tasted really refreshing! The dessert was was great as well, we each tried one and the best for me was the mochi! some of my friends really like the soya ice cream. I will recommend this to anyone. Worth a visit with great decor, great recessed seating, great food the bill for us came up to about 45 each what more can you asked for! read more

Sake No Hana located in London (near the Ritz) was on offer on Toptable for 50% off the standard menu (excluding Sushi). Based on their nice (but expensive) cocktail list and the good selection of interesting food on the main menu off we went. Now, these days I'm lucky to be in the position that an expensive meal can be done once a month without much fuss and Sake No Hana would have been without the 50% easily £140 - £150 for two with only one drink each. So well worth pointing out that this is very expensive... Anyway, we arrived a little early for our table and were pleased we could take a seat anyway. The restaurant was pretty full at this time but only got busier through the evening. It is really pretty inside and well decorated in a simple but elegant way. Our waiter informed us that five or six dishes for the two of us was the right amount to order. We went for; i) Sesame Aubergines ii) Tofu done three ways iii) Iron Pot black cod rice iv) Sukiyaki Rib of Beef (cooked at the table) v) Kinome Alaskan crab with ponzu butter Total full price cost £90 which when you include cocktails at £9.5 each or wine starting from around £30 a bottle added up :) Sorry, but the food was not great. The Kinome crab was three small sections of leg, one of which was burnt. The Rib of Beef was good, but the waiters leave the table while it was cooking and it was overdone as they didn't turn the gas off when they came back the first time. The Iron Pot was great, really good fish, good taste and high quality rice, so we loved that. But the two smaller dishes of aubergine and tofu were bland and uninspiring. Overall, with very small portions, and not that great taste, it's a real shame. They should go back to basics before trying to run. Donzoko really beats this place handsdown and is so much more authentic. read more

Posh place, service was just ok and food average for the price. We booked for 6:30pm and was greeted first thing by the host that we need to finish & return the table by 9pm (not the 1st thing you wanna hear when u arrive!) Food was ok, average taste for its price. (We had the set menu for 2 pax) I had a good non-alcoholic cocktail, try the Shi-shi cooler if you're a lychee fan. read more

Set over 2 floors, this Sushi bar has recently won a bunch of awards for being the best designed restaurant in London. The ground floor is reasonably relaxed and spacious split up by tradtional Japanese sunken seating. You take a funny little escalator up to the top floor where the theme is much the same with a few more anglicized touches. Onto the food - Excellent and daring. A great choice of sushi as well as some more traditional dishes. Probably the best place to eat sushi in SW1. It comes at a price though. read more

Yup, it's expensive. Don't go there expecting anything else, just book through toptable and get 40% off your bill, then take a deep breath and start ordering. Once you do, it's a wonderful experience. The decor in the restaurant is beautiful, it's like eating in a theatre, and the presentation of the food matches. The menu spans sushi, sashimi, rolls, vegetables and then a few mains (wish I'd tried the black cod, it looked fantastic). We dabbled with a few dishes across everything, but the big plates of sushi looked very good too. Every dish we ordered came individually, served on fresh plates, giving the meal a feeling of intricate ceremony and leaving us savouring every mouthful. The cocktails also went down well, and then passionfruit cheesecake was a nice way to round things off. The only annoying thing - the toilets are about a million miles (and a lift journey) away, and the restaurant was freezing when we were there. Wrap up warm! read more