The experience of Sake no Hana starts weirdly: one is forced onto an escalator as if shopping at a department store. Then, once inside the restaurant, there is a lot of wood and it is rather pleasant, but enough with designblabla, let's talk about the food. The menu is very different from any japanese restaurant that I have ever eaten at – including the ones in Japan. There is very little way in knowing how much you are ordering as some dishes are great for 2 or even 3 people sharing while others aren't even enough for one. The sashimi (hamachi, scallop, o-toro) was very good, but cut too thinly. The chilean seabass was delicious, the black cod rice far too sweet and the grilled yellowtail unfortunately dry. We also ordered one of the waguy beef dishes (the small one) which arrived in a little pot with carrots (?), potatoes (??) and some strange jellyfied stock cubes (???) – bizarre and not at all complementary to the tender beef. One thing stands out though: the sake list. It's incredible, they even offer sparkling sake (which I really liked – but maybe because I tasted other 2 types of sake beforehand). Service was overall friendly and helpfull, although I waited 10 minutes for a little wasabi. However, I am going back to eat more raw fish as I want to give Sake No Hana the benefit of doubt.

Zuma has been one of my favourite London restaurants for years now. The girls at the entrance can be uneccessarily rude and arrogant at times and the crowd at the bar a little tacky but the food is always great, so who cares.
Some of the best dishes that Zuma has to offer include Chillie Salt Squid, Giant King Prawn on robata grill, Hotate (scallop) sashimi with yuzu, sashimi salad, waguy beef and the unusual bean creme brulee' with green tea ice cream which I only tasted recently for the first time and immediately got addicted to. Incidentally Zuma (in my humble opinion) has the best green tea ice cream in London – not too sweet or creamy. Yummie.

I dined at L'Atelier and it was a very pleasant experience. The restaurants layout is unusual, the bar is very sexy with dark wood and deep reds surrounding a cosy fireplace. The dining rooms are casual-trendy with high sitting bars and tables and most decorations on walls, bars and tables are made out of food. We decided to have the tasting menu which was indeed very tasty. A combination of french classics, with the occasional spanish (jamon and pan y tomate) guest-dish or japanese ingredient (seaweed). The hot foie gras was most probably the most delicious I have ever had – slightly seared and smoky on the outside and creamy like butter on the inside. The lamb cutlets were too one of our favourites – tender, pink and juicy and the chocolate sensation dessert was scrumptious. The wines that came, were matched nicely with most courses and complimented them well, although I did not drink the dessert wine. Just make sure you do not eat anything that day because the dishes can be somewhat heavy.

Next to J.Sheekey this is the best seafood restaurant in London. The atmosphere in the dining room is very grown-up. It's a place your dad would know from going there for regular business lunches. But the giant comfy chairs and soft colours make it cosy, rather than stuffy. I always have the same: raw & cooked seafood platter, which is shared amongst diners and includes the usual (oysters, clams, prawns, langoustines, lobster, different types of crab etc). However the wine list is very well represented in french whites, but does need to be upgraded in their italian-whites selection.

UMU is authentic in it's Kyoto-style Kaseiki dining in the middle of London. Many small portioned dishes are seasonally selected and beautifully presented for the patron (me) to sample various raw fish varieties and rare japanese specialties (like Zuma this restaurant offers fresh grated wasabi) some of which are imported directly from Japan. I had the delicious experience of eating my way through the Kaseiki Menu, complimented by sake and my favourites were the hamachi, o-toro, the lobster and the waguy beef dish. It is expensive, but the price is justified as this is the only authentic Japanese high end restaurant in London (probably in Europe) that does not get seduced by fusion fashion. For adventurous diners as the menu is very raw.