Bisushima, the rooftop restaurant that moved into the Page8 hotel in St Martin’s Place last winter, is one of the largest places to dine and drink al-fresco in the area with 190 covers. Spread over two roof terraces, the Japanese restaurant has views of Trafalgar Square whilst inside the interiors have been designed with the concept of Shinrin-yoku (nature therapy) in mind. Sadly it was wet and windy on our visit so we didn’t get to enjoy the terraces but there was plenty inside to keep our attention.
There’s a large selection of wines, sakes and cocktails – we can highly recommend the Bisushima Flowers for any vodka drinkers out there – and the food menu is very extensive too, so it’s quite a task deciding what to order. We did our best to hit different menu sections and overall we found the cold dishes were stronger than the hot ones. The wagyu tataki was a real showstopper and the dish of the night – perfectly seared A5 wagyu that just melted in the mouth with little nuggets of avocado adding even more creaminess.
We also loved the ruby red tuna carpaccio topped with delicate seasonal vegetables (yes that means sprouts) and nori dressing. The signature maki rolls were good too, particularly the salmon avocado with yuzu kosho mayo, and the generously-sized ebi tempura roll, given a little twist with the addition of burdock in there.
Our Yuan chicken kara-age lacked the crispy batter you want from fried chicken but the meat was better represented on the Yuan chicken risotto, where marinated slices of thigh sat on a Japanese-style risotto spiked with shiitake. Clearly Italian-Japanese fusion is going from strength to strength with a whole restaurant, Itaku in Fitzrovia, coming early next year. We can never say no to miso black cod and this was a decent version of the classic, with soft flaky fish flesh and more delicate pickled veggies.
There was more miso in the cheesecake; we’re big fans of miso in desserts and for us this could have taken more of it, but it was a good cheesecake nonetheless. There was no doubt however about the flavour of the lemon granita that came on the side, a real face sucker of sourness in the best way.
As a rooftop restaurant, Bisushima isn’t the easiest spot for a passer by – there’s a separate entrance tucked to the right of the main Page8 lobby, so it’s the kind of place you need to go to on purpose, and especially with the prices they’re charging. Yes, it’s not cheap, but premium ingredients and a central London location is never going to be a bargain combo. It’s not a destination restaurant yet but there’s definitely still some gems to discover, especially if you like wagyu.
Page8, 8 St. Martin’s Place, London WC2N 4JH
bisushima.com