Love Bites Restaurant Review: Sushisamba London

Sushisamba is one of those exclusive restaurant chains that only feature in the hottest, hippest and in some of the highest locations of cities in the world, those the likes of New York, Chicago, Miami, Las Vegas... and their first international location - London.

I fell in love with Sushisamba in London at first sight. I loved the atmosphere, the colour scheme, the cocktails and could not get enough of the food, let alone the orange tree outside on the terrace! I am lucky enough to have dined at Sushisamba in London a good handful of times. Dining at Sushisamba usually needs to involve a lot of patience due to the fact you need to literally book months in advance. In every experience I have been impressed by the food, cocktails and of course the skyline views of London. Being located in the Heron Tower near Liverpool Street Station and on the 38th floor invites some pretty spectacular sights over London city. With floor to ceiling glass windows, roof terraces on both sides of the building and a glass lift that takes you to the 38th floor in what feels like under 60 seconds. Even before you've sat down to dine you've already had an incredible experience and are in for a real treat.

 The food itself at Sushisamba is an exciting mix of cuisines which create an electric combination in every dish. Peruvian, Japanese and Brazilian flavours are entwined throughout the menu boasting an abundance of colours and flavours. The menu is designed for sharing with a mixture of small and large plates and to finish on sushi and sashimi. I love this style of dining as you get to taste a variety of dishes, my particular favourites being the kuromitsu glazed pork belly wraps (check out the recipe here), the shrimp tempura and the wagyu gyoza's. Everything is so fresh on the menu, the pork bite sized and oozing tenderness, with a crisp crunch of lettuce and scattered crackling, to the shrimp's golden batter combined with the julienned sugar snaps and fresh garden peas, each dish is a mixture of hot and cold ingredients with particular attention to the sauces and colour. Sushisamba really makes for an exciting meal.

Wagu Beef Gyoza

Shrimp Tempura

Kuromitsu Pork Belly Wraps

In my latest experience I devoured the black cod skewers with Peruvian corn, these literally melted in your mouth leaving me drooling for more. The teriyaki chicken was so good that we even ordered another round. That is another thing I love about the experience of Sushisamba, if you are a large group they will add more pieces to each of the sharing plates so everyone gets to have a taste. This comes at an additional cost but there is nothing worse than sharing dishes that you can't technically share with everyone - so Sushisamba really hits the nail on the head with this one.

Black Cod Skewers

A Selection of Seviches

Chicken Teriyaki

A Selection of Sushi to Finish off the Meal

The one negative thing I have to say is that I have found that the service at Sushisamba in London is not always consistent. In the past I have been waited on with unfriendly staff with stiff upper lips giving the impression you are not wanted there. However I can say that my most recent experiences this seems to have changed and the staff have been fantastic. Their knowledge of the menu, the ease at which they design a sushi platter for the final stage of the meal, and the friendly banter has really come a long way.

Between the food, the views and the cocktails and the atmosphere, Sushisamba is really something special - Get booking!!!

I will leave you with a mixture of photos from my Sushisamba experiences - enjoy...