Prepared, cooked and served before your very eyes, a gastronomical experience bursting with energy, fun and, most importantly, a delectable array of dishes is guaranteed at Sakura Japanese Restaurant and Bar.
Two years in its £1.2m creation, vibrant restaurant Sakura has been open just 6 months at listed building Walker House at Exchange Flags, opposite Liverpool Town Hall.
From the exterior, with its name brightly illuminated in pink and blue, Sakura holds an instant allure, with a seated terrace area ideal for the warmer summer months sadly currently inhospitable.
Eighteen skilled chefs have been head hunted from around the world to provide diners with fresh food and delightful entertainment, offering amusing tricks and interaction throughout the preparation of a wide range of Japanese delicacies on the Teppanyaki Grill.
Each grill station accommodates 8-10 visitors comfortably, with Sakura boasting the largest number of Teppanyaki grills in the North of England, around which your group are seated and assigned a personal chef.
Full of fun, with a mischievous grin, our amiable chef Suriya took to his Grill instantly displaying his impressive juggling skills - with exceedingly sharp kitchen implements. Although at first somewhat unsettling, it is soon apparent you are in safe hands. Make no mistake, Sakura is a night out during which you must "go with the flow", for, being surrounded by tables which often become raucous in their revelry, it is a necessity you enter in good humour. A quiet meal this is not.
Greeted by Head Chef Girish Gopalakrishnan, a former chef of Gordon Ramsey's, we decided to try the set Christmas menu which Girish, together with Executive Head Chef Masamitsu Morino, have carefully collated as a real treat for diners this winter.
To start, a large bowl of Akadashi (Red Miso Soup with Tofu, Spring Onion and Wakame), its subtle but satisfying flavour glided over the tastebuds and warmed our chilled bones on a very blustery winter's evening.
Salivating from the first satisfying sizzle of oil on the shiny grill, chef Suriya melted garlic butter in which he placed Yaki Yaki Shrimp (griddled sweet shrimp with lime and garlic) and Teppan Yasai (sauteed vegetables with Yakimeshi sauce). The shrimp was as succulent as any I've ever sampled, with equal portions carefully presented on four plates, served with thinly shredded carrots, tenderstem broccoli and crispy cabbage.
For main we chose a mixture of Australian Sirloin (Sirloin of Beef Sukiyaki with garlic and sweet potato), Chicken Teriyaki (Corn Fed Chicken Fillets with Teriyaki and sesame) and Scottish Salmon (Scottish Salmon with Teriyaki and schichimi).
Chef Suriya's superb culinary talents became truly evident as each ingredient was lovingly placed with beautiful symmetry on the grill, with precision timings for each. Do be sure to shield your eyes as chef deftly chops a freshly prepared 30-second-omelette with impressive speed before mixing it with Fried Rice. Asparagus and Shiitake mushrooms are a welcome complement, allowing us to feel relatively healthy as we beheld the gorgeous platters laid before us.
Griddled before you, it is plain to see that only the best top quality meat and fish is selected by Sakura's chefs. My dining companions tucked into the beef sirloin with gusto, each generous chunk tender and pink in the middle, while the chicken and salmon dishes were far lighter portions, it was at no loss to the tastebuds. Glorious sweet and savoury flavours oozed from each dish, and it was with some regret I had to swallow!
Onward, we greedily guzzled a final selection placed before us - a small tray of desserts providing a mini chocolate fondant, a square of light chocolate sponge cake and a cleansing raspberry sorbet. Superb.
Our wonderful experience at a close, we could not thank our chef enough for his efforts, a fine personal touch which is simply not possible at conventional restaurants.
With set menus priced at £25pp upwards, it is certainly not a 'cheap' night but, that is precisely the aim. Value for money at Sakura shines in as much as the diner is treated to a rare theatrical performance as a culinary delight.
9/10
To book your table please call 0151 236 2113 or visit www.sakuraliverpool.com for further information.
Exchange Flags,
Liverpool,
L2 3YL
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