A friend who
always organizes some incredible parties invited me casually to a sushi
restaurant launch and I thought, why not? I'm a student and this was an offer
of free food that I simply could not refuse. I took a friend and we showed up
at the Heron Tower in the city around 7pm to find a queue of a few hundred
people outside dressed in their finery. They were entertained by a Rio carnival-esque
band and dancers in the middle of the street, I was so confused but had little
time as we spotted my friend and were let straight through. We step into a
glass lift with 3 drag queens, Mathew Williamson and Ricky from Eastenders. Suffice to say this was
awkward enough without being launched up 40 flights in a glass elevator at
nauseating speed.
The restaurant
was not at all what I expected. Sprawled across three asymmetric floors it was
a maze of varieties of art instillations and breathtaking panoramic views
of London.
The food was a
different topic entirely. The restaurant is called 'SushiSamba' and thus was a
bizarre fusion of Peruvian and Japanese food. With around 100 catering and bar
staff we were well and truly to be fed. Given our usual student menus we ate
every canapé that came our way. This soon proved all too vomit-inducing.
The restaurant
upstairs had also put its chiefs to the job of supplying for the party and our
taste master class began there, bare in mind it's called the ‘Duck and Waffle'
and their signature dish, which the lovely head chief Dan made for us, was a Belgium
waffle, duck, fried egg and maple syrup! Swallowed down by a Martini and vodka
shot with citrus froth and dried orange shavings. Then…
Oxcheek doughnut
balls
Haddock Scotch
eggs
Date wrapped in
bacon
Grilled Octopus
Shrimp with
black truffle vinaigrette
Grilled
mozzarella and quails egg on a sushi base.
All in quick
succession.
The
entertainment was just as arbitrary; the aforementioned drag queens amounted to
at least 20 and paraded around being amusing and chatty. Pixie Geldof's band Violet did a set including, what I
drunkenly remember to be, a Rhianna cover.
It all got a bit
too much when I met a banker who somewhere in conversation mentioned he was Jewish
and I proceeded to tell him how I love Jews and all about my dissertation.
Meanwhile my friend was being chatted up by a head buyer at Selfridges who told
us this season's 'in’ colours were orange pink and white about which she, as a
proud ginger, was furious, as she was ‘unable' to wear any of those colors.
All in all we
space shuttled our way back down the elevator, our ears popped, our tummies were
sickeningly full, our Instagrams chock–a-block with arty photos, satisfied with
our evening. A well recommended destination.
http://sushisamba.com/
