Hello!
This weekend I finally got to try out Sake no Hana, a Japanese restaurant created by Hakkasan. You can imagine how wonderful the food is when Hakkasan is a global Michelin-star group of restaurants. Sake no Hana is located bang in the middle of Mayfair, around the corner from other high end Japanese restaurants like Nobu, Novikov & Umu.
Sake no Hana offer an incredible (and fairly affordable) 5 course taster menu - "Taste of Sake no Hana" for just £29, where you get a perfect range of popular Japanese foods, (not just sushi!). So with this menu you also get cold sake - which I was soon to discover is not quite my cup of tea...(but I like to think I might grow to like it, like people do with wine and things...)
So the first course is a bowl of miso soup. Traditionally with Japanese food you have soup last, however I always think miso soup is a nice starting point for a meal, especially when it's filled with seaweed and tofu.
Next up is a tempura course - a choice of vegetables or prawns served with somen noodles. Obviously I chose prawns because they're one of my favourite things ever. The little bundles of noodles sat alongside the prawns and were served with a dipping sauce. Somen noodles are quite fine and slim, and very light and easy to eat - they're a serious family favourite in my house.
Third course is a sushi dish - once again offering a vegetarian and traditional fish based option. In the photo you can see the box containing the masu sushi - sushi rice topped with small pieces of raw fish. Next to the box you find two pieces of spicy salmon roll. The roll is filled with salmon, mango, cucumber & shiso.
The main course offers fish, chicken or a vegetarian option - teriyaki salmon, char-grilled chicken or a tofu & aubergine broth. From my previous posts you can probably guess that I had the Teriyaki Salmon. I don't think I've ever had salmon cooked as perfectly on point as this before, it was absolutely to die for! I also had a nibble of the chicken, which was pretty much perfectly cooked and flavoured with red peppercorns which are a wonderfully fragrant. 
The final course is of course dessert. The menu calls it their signature dessert - a sesame pannacotta, served with mango compote, passionfruit curd and tropical sorbet. I've always been a big tropical fan, so this went down a treat. The flavours are well balanced and not too overpowering on the pannacotta, too. It's one of the best desserts I've had in a while and a beaut way to end the meal!
This taster menu is ideal if you're not too adventurous with food, but want to try something a little different. Or even if you're a big fan of Japanese food and want to try somewhere high-end on a slightly more middle range budget. It's perfect for celebrations or even just lunching with friends. The restaurant has a very cool but relaxed vibe, so you don't feel like you have to try too hard, which perfectly matches my impression of the food.
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