Where did you go? Ichi Sushi, First Floor, Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, SE1 7PB, 020 7620 77, ichisushi.co.uk
Why?
The building of the Park Plaza Hotel on my doorstep in Waterloo has been going on for years, to much excitement. Will it have a roof terrace pool? Is there going to be a spa? Will off-duty MPs use it for illicit hook-ups? And then it opened exactly a year ago and I totally forgot to go. Now that it is celebrating its first birthday, I felt it was time to pop into what is, essentially, my local luxury corporate hotel.
What was it like?
After the escalators travelling through the sleek, black, shiny foyer and then the huge reception area of the hotel, Ichi Sushi, a luxe Japanese cocktail bar, was surprisingly small and intimate. Glossy Europeans shook their glossy hair over glossy raw fish, everything gleaming in the mix of low lights and Perspex surfaces. With not a conveyor belt in sight, this was as far from Yo! Sushi — one of the few other Japanese restaurants in Waterloo — as you could get.
What did you drink?
The cocktail list gave only the slightest nod to the Japanese food, with vaguely eastern flavours such as lemongrass cropping up here and there. The Vita Vini — red grapes, lychee juice, vodka and sparkling white wine — was more refreshing than anything on the sake list, and the Primo Big Apple was the perfect mix of vodka and, well, apple. At a time when the trend seems to be for chucking any old spirits and any old bitters onto cocktail lists to make them as difficult to drink as possible, this was just good, old- fashioned, easy-to-drink deliciousness.
Who goes there?
Glamorous Eurojetters on a city break, City types after some European glamour, very few Japanese.
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How much did it cost?
Cocktails were about £9 each
To celebrate its first birthday, Ichi Sushi has created a special menu showcasing its finest dishes for £44pp, including a 135ml carafe of sake