Lily Allen took to the stage at London's Sushisamba situated on the 38th floor of the Heron Tower this week to celebrate the swish fusion restaurant's second anniversary. The Air Balloon singer performed for an A-list crowd including regulars such as model Daisy Lowe, Pixie Geldof and Pixie Lott as well as Nicola Roberts, actress Samantha Barks and designer Christopher Kane.
Sushisamba London, which first opened in 2012 and is the first outside the US, has quickly found itself on the celebrity dining map. The capital's jet-set often head up the Tower for a taste of the unique Brazilian, Peruvian and Japanese fusion cuisine, as well as Hawaii-born Nicole Scherzinger when she's in town. The trip up is exciting enough, with the incredible experience kicking off the moment you enter the lift that whisks you up 38 floors while you look over the breathtaking London skyline.
So what is it that draws the celebs up the Heron Tower? One of London's coolest fusion restaurants has several sister venues Stateside, including in New York, Chicago and Miami, that are long-standing attractions of the glitz and gliteratti. The tri-cultural blend – which is owed to the Japanese émigrés who moved to South America in the 19th century – may be hard to imagine. Think tempura prawns and sushi rolls, black cod and pork ribs, wagyu tataki and yellowtail taquitos – all in one seating.
And that's just to eat. Drinks are a whole other dilemma. You may go for a bottle of wine from the extensive wine list and wonderful sommelier who will talk you through it at leisure, or you might like to opt for one of the tempting cocktails, such as the Peruvian Swizzle, or the gin-based chucumber. Add to that the double-height glasshouse with magnificent bamboo-lattice ceiling that provides the ultra-cool, colourful and contemporary setting in the restaurant, stunning vistas and impeccable service, and you've got Sushisamba.
The open terrace-bar, with a magical lit-up tree perched in the middle of the circular bar that has you reaching for your camera phone, and the cool buzzy atmosphere, is also not to be missed…Sushisamba.com
