THAT THE views from Lucky Cat at 22 Bishopsgate are breathtaking is less a subjective impression and more an absolute truth.
The panoramas are better than those from The Shard’s viewing platform because you are in the heart of the city and not just looking at it from the other side of the Thames. Gazing down on the bloated 20 Fenchurch building confirms its walkie-talkie appearance, merely the plaything of an oversized child.
The Sushi Bar at Lucky Cat, 22 Bishopsgate
Darkness reigns inside Lucky Cat – predictable enough for a Gordon Ramsay restaurant, some might say – but I was there as twilight was deepening into a night sky and a lunchtime visit, with natural light flooding in through the large windows, will be a different experience. Whatever the time of your arrival, there is the sensation inside the restaurant of being ensconced in a stationary drone, staring down at what lies below.
The menu, designed for sharing with chopsticks, kicks off with sparkly starters like crunchy Kyoto cucumbers with sesame and spiced-up edamame. Japanese affiliations predominate in what follows– tempura, sushi, lots of sashimi – but to think of Lucky Cat as a Japanese restaurant would be misleading: the oysters are Gillardeau, the wagyu is Australian and lamb chops feature alongside lobster siu mai.
The rooftop level above, on the 61st floor, will be opening soonish as a terrace bar so the prospect of going even higher in the sky beckons.
Views from Lucky Cat, looking across at The Shard
Lucky Cat can be loud with a DJ belting out music and busyness around the bar area. Not so at Mei Ume, at the Four Seasons Hotel at Tower Bridge, where on a quiet evening a pin dropping to the floor might feel like a noisy intrusion.
The presence in the restaurant of Corinthian columns suggests stateliness but floral touches lighten the scene and the overall atmosphere is one of unstuffy, aristocratic calm. It befits the grandeur of the early twentieth-century building you have entered, at its best in the magnificent domed lobby where softly played live music sets the Four Seasons tone of quietly asserted classiness.
Mei Ume excels in celebrating Japanese food
Mei Ume celebrates Japanese and Chinese food so smoked Peking duck and abalone compete for attention with moriawase and nigiri. Deserted at short notice by my companion, I was dining alone and deprived of taking advantage of the intriguing combinations available from the à la carte menu. The silver lining, however, came with the realization that Japanese cuisine might be at its most sublime and exquisite when enjoyed alone.
Mei Ume
The restaurant excels when it comes to pairing sake and French wines with Asian food. Its cocktails are the usual mix of the expected and the eclectic and, delighted at finding pisco on the drinks menu, I enquired about El Capitán. The bar was not familiar with this cocktail but undeterred did some quick research and produced one that in Peru, from my memory of experiencing it there, would be appreciated as expertly prepared.
The building that houses Saison was the government headquarters of the British Army between 1857 and 1964. An historic edifice, its location at the junction of Horse Guards Avenue and Whitehall is tremendously iconic. Now known as the Old War Office (OWO), it is home to an illustriously-named hotel: Raffles London at The OWO. Inside, you are awed by a most imposing grand staircase until a dimensional change occurs when stepping into Saison restaurant.
It is modestly sized and attractively decorated with a large mural evoking a pastoral, Mediterranean landscape. This perfectly sets the scene for the food which is to follow, overseen by superstar Mauro Colagreco but with a new head chef who is gradually establishing his culinary presence with his own creations on the menu. One of these, using the seasonal availability of white asparagus, arrives so artistically arranged that the deployment of shapes and colours – courtesy of the vegetable, blood orange and bottarga – transforms the plate into a Miró painting.
Sublimely Mediterranean at Saison in Raffles London
The wine list at Saison shines with its selection of bottles from estates in the Mediterranean region but Burgundy is not forgotten and you will also find a dozen or so different Chablis worth considering. It also has surprises, like a fine Chardonnay from Argentina, a 2021 Zuccardi, pale lemon in colour and taste-pleasingly austere with an artichoke salad or lobster Bolognese. Many of the ingredients are sourced nationally, from Cornwall to Hampshire, but the spirit of Saison and its inspiration is the Riviera.
by Sean Sheehan
Lucky Cat is on the 60th floor at 22 Bishopsgate, London, EC2N 4BQ.
Mei Ume is at Four Seasons Hotel London, 10 Trinity Square, London, EC3N 4AJ.
Saison is in Raffles London at The OWO, 57 Whitehall, London SW1A 2BX