Getting the lift up to SUSHISAMBA is pretty impressive; as you hurtle up to the 38th floor in an elevator that’s placed on the outside of the Heron Tower, the views are nothing short of magnificent.
The excitement doesn’t end there, or at least it didn’t for us, as before you get to the restaurant there’s an outside bar – which is amazing considering how high up you are. Cos’ it was a bit nippy, we popped upstairs to Duck and Waffle for a quick pre-dinner cocktail and some pigs ears – another restaurant worth a look in if you haven’t already.
The dining room was a really lovely space with a relaxed atmosphere and we luckily had a table right by the window – again the view was stunning. It had a lively atmosphere and the chairs were seriously comfy meaning we never really wanted to leave. If you time it right you get to watch the sun go down then the restaurant seems to get ever prettier.
Things kicked off with a lovely amuse bouche of tuna tartare in a tiny lettuce leaf. Not only was it delicious but it looked beautiful too – something we found with all the dishes.
Wagyu gyozas (£12) were as rich and fatty as you could wish for with that perfect amount of greasiness from being fried on one side.
The sushi was great too; we started with some salmon, tuna, prawn and scallop nigiri (between £6-£8 each) then ordered a plate of samba rolls as well (£16) which featured things like crab, more wagyu, scallop and ‘tempura crunch’ – bloody hell they were good. The accompanying wasabi mayo was the perfect dunker for it all.
The pork ribs (£14) were utterly divine; the meat fell off the bone yet it still retained its texture and wasn’t at all mushy. The sharp pickled yuzu apple was a great contrast. Staying on the piggy front, the kuromitsu glazed pork belly (£12) served in lettuce wraps were heavenly pieces of soft, fatty pork. They were messy to eat; I ended up with pork glaze all over my face, but it was worth it.
The yellowtail sashimi tiradito (£12) (that’s a Peruvian dish of raw fish in a spicy sauce FYI) was the only thing we didn’t like but that’s mainly because I’m not a huge fan of anything too acidic – I find it always overpowers the main ingredient.
The miso black cod (£17) which was served on two small skewers was one of the tastiest things I’ve eaten in a long time. The cod practically melted in my mouth – it was pure bliss!
For dessert we shared the passion fruit cake (£10) and ‘With Love From Rio’ (£12) which was a Valrhona macaé dark chocolate ganache, coffee mousse, tonka bean ice cream and caramelized macadamia. That last one was bloody lovely – if you like chocolate then you’ll be a happy chappy.
It was difficult not to fall in love with SUSHISAMBA; the food was delicious and it looked incredible, the staff were relaxed and friendly yet really efficient too and those views were beguiling to say the least. If you haven’t been then I really think you should.
9/10
