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As you’d expect from the Hakkasan restaurant group, Sake No Hana is well designed and has slick service: a combination that means the striking yet serene dining room plays host to many a business lunch from the Economist’s offices round the corner. On a midweek lunchtime visit there were also a number of well-heeled families enjoying the range of contemporary Japanese dishes.
A four-course ‘Taste of Sake No Hana’ (£29) proved a filling meal, with miso soup, a choice of sukiyaki, tempura or grilled dish, a handful of sushi and a dessert. Arriving sizzling at the table, its earthenware cloche still in place, our tofu toban-yaki came with a pleasingly tangy ponzu dressing and slices of shiitake and eringi mushroom on the side. A coating of tempura batter pieces added interest to an avocado and red pepper inside-out roll; and a selection of ice-cream mochi wedges, presented in a circle like the petals of a flower, rounded off the meal well.
There’s also plenty for wine and saké buffs to get stuck into. Don’t forget to glance upwards while you’re dining; the sculptural wood slating above your head definitely deserves a look.