Sake no Hana is a sushi-lover's dream

Sake no Hana is Hakkasan’s sister restaurant in The West End. The omakase sitting is at 7:00pm each night, and there is typically one chef to two diners – perfect for a special occasion date! Charming Chef Hideki explained why each ingredient was chosen, where it came from and even gave us directions on how best to eat each delicious morsel, especially once the sake started to kick in.

Left image shows a piece of nigiri sushi being blow torched. Right image shows the body of a chef wearing a navy uniform preparing matcha tea at Sake no Hana in London. — Inside Sake no Hana's omakase dining experience © Sake no Hana

What is omakase?

Omakase, meaning ‘I’ll leave it up to you’, is a traditional Japanese dining experience where your chef chooses and prepares the menu in front of you. The menu changes daily, depending on the season and what ingredients are available. Our experience at Sake no Hana was intricately artistic, incredibly delicious and endlessly interesting. We chose a small carafe of Azure, Ginjo-grade (premium) sake which had a fruity taste with a dry finish.

A close up of a bowl of Hirame Dashi at Sake no Hana. Turbot and citrus fruit in a clear broth. — Hirame dashi, a broth made of fish and vegetables © Shu Shi Lin / Lonely Planet

What was on the menu?

Aburi shimesaba: Cornish cured mackerel with turnip.

This was the Sakizuke, meaning appetiser and was similar to an amuse-bouche.

Hirame dashi: konbu and bonito broth with turbot and grated yuzu.

This was the Atsumono, meaning broth made of fish and vegetables. Top tip: Chef Hideki recommend we wafted the aroma from the broth into our faces using both hands for this dish, and you should too!

Fresh wasabi being prepared at Sake no Hana by a chef in a navy uniform. The green root is being grated on a wooden board covered with shark skin. — Chef Hideki preparing fresh wasabi for the parade of nigiri to come © Shu Shi Lin / Lonely Planet

Suzuki: Hidaka konbu cured Cornish seabass.

The first of the 11 Nigiri pieces served during the meal. Chef Hideki first prepared fresh wasabi by finely grating it on a wooden board that was covered in shark skin to allow air to mix with the root, naturally.

Hamachi: Zeeland yellowtail with winter truffle.

Zuke maguro: koji-fermented Japanese tuna.

Ika: cuttlefish with Oscietra caviar.

Chef Hideki preparing Japanese o toro, Sake no Hana.jpg — Chef Hideki preparing Japanese o toro © Shu Shi Lin / Lonely Planet

Japanese o toro: fatty tuna topped with salty, milky caviar.

Langoustine ‘aburi’: Scottish langoustine with citrus soy sauce, miso and flying fish roe.

Chu toro: medium-fatty Japanese tuna.

A hand holding Uni Gunkan at Sake no Hana. Orange sea urchin sits on a bed of rice wrapped in seaweed topped with fresh wasabi — Chef Hideki explains each course as he prepares it © Shu Shi Lin / Lonely Planet

Uni gunkan: fresh Icelandic sea urchin wrapped in seaweed.

Hotate: Scottish divers scallop.

A hand holding a Toro dog, Sake no Hana. Raw tuna sits on a bed of rice, wrapped in seaweed, topped with fresh yuzu — Toro dog: all of the tuna courses were spectacular © Shu Shi Lin / Lonely Planet

Toro dog: Japanese tuna with shiso and takuwan, rolled in seaweed.

Unagi: Irish ‘ikejime’ eel, marinated in soy sauce and blow-torched.

Akadashi misoshiru: Nagoya red miso soup with Okinawa seaweed.

Otemae: This was a traditional Japanese matcha tea ceremony served with ichigo daifuku, yuzu cake and goma monaka ice cream. Chef Hideki explained that the tea must be prepared with the ‘face’ of the cup towards the server, and how the person drinking should pick up the cup and then turn it slightly to point the face away.

Make it happen

The omakase experience at Sake no Hana is £135 per person, with an optional paired sake flight for £45. To make a reservation, email [email protected] or call 02079258988.