Having made it through its first year of trade, Ichi Sushi & Sashimi Bar has decided to celebrate with a special one year birthday “Ichi Experience Menu” created by Chef Sadayuki Okamoto to showcase “his finest dishes” throughout the month of March. The menu, which includes a 135ml carafe of sake, costs £44 per person and offers diners a chance to take in the grandeur of its Park Plaza Westminster Bridge London hotel setting for a fraction of booking a room and – if you're lucky enough to snag or reserve a table near the window - to take in a rather nice south of the river view of Parliament.
Londonist found this menu tasty enough with certain dishes appealing well more than others. Mozuku (seaweed grown on sea rock served with sweet vinegar), prawn tempura rolls and crispy duck rolls were much appreciated for flavour and texture while other items fell a bit short of our expectations. For example, seared tuna jalapeño with seaweed salad and sesame dressing, wasn't terribly jalapeño-y and the “seaweed” looked and tasted a lot like rocket.
Dessert-wise, a small plate of mochi was adequately satisfying and carrot cheesecake was surprisingly yummy. Sake was served warmed – pleasant but nothing to write too much about. Post-dinner cocktails (the ginger grape daiquiri was a winner at £9.50) and free live music at the hotel's Primo Bar adjacent to Ichi provided an entertaining end to our meal.
Service was friendly (after a bit of warming up) but disorganized and stressed out to the extent we wondered if the restaurant was down a member of staff during our Saturday night visit.
Forty-four quid's a lot to dish out and we reckon just as good (and even better) Japanese cuisine can be had nearby. However, that didn't seem to keep the punters (many of whom were presumably hotel guests) away while we were there. And it must be noted that servings at this sleek Japanese eatery were attractively presented and ample and the sushi and sashimi were fresh.
Ichi Sushi & Sashimi is located on the first floor of Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, SE1 7UT. Visit www.ichisushi.co.uk for more information.
Photo/Chris Osburn
Disclaimer: The bill for this meal was picked up by Sauce Communications.
