So, you can see why I’d been looking forward to hating the place. But, better this than a Leicester Square mix of tourists fresh from M&Ms World, surely? A friend of mine dined at Sushisamba a few days before me and she described it as “very American Psycho, full of women who want to get f-ked in high heels.” She was right. Each brightly illuminated bar and dining space shouts “MONEY!” right in your face, while pinching your arse and flirting outrageously with your partner. Now, depending on which side of the north/south cultural divide you sit on (and I’m talking about nearby Redchurch Street, which separates London’s identikit hipsters from the Square Mile’s single breasted types), you’ll view the crowd at Sushisamba as either “the chaps from the office next door”, or a hellish cabal of morally bankrupt imbeciles. It’s nice enough, but all eyes are on the windows. Inside, the furniture is a mish mash of South American modernism, with a few buckled nods to Sergio Rodrigues. “It’s like Hong Kong! It’s like Manhattan!” No, it’s like London, but new London. You can be as cynical as you like, but you’d have to be an anarchist tepee dweller not to get a rush from the wraparound Tron-like vision. Sushisamba overlooks the Gherkin while Renzo Piano’s Shard stands in the distance some way behind it, like a nearly beautiful chess piece. This is an aspect of London you haven’t experienced before. Once you’re past Sushisamba’s ground floor, smiley clipboard police and the Willy Wonka 38-storey glass lift experience, they don’t disappoint. Much has been Tweeted about the views from the top of Heron Tower. It’s all about nouveau kosher these days. Brazilian/Peruvian/Japanese fusion? That’s so last decade. This American export had also crossed the Atlantic with its stock fairly low in novelty and fashion terms back home. Sushisamba had disaster written all over it: neon-brash pomp and bottomless pockets, taking over – after what must have been a ruthless bidding war – the top floors of one of the tallest and shiniest buildings in Europe. I couldn’t remember looking forward to hating a restaurant this much in ages.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |