About Time: You Celebrated Sakura Season at Mei UmeBy Angelica Malin
Mei Ume – the Chinese and Japanese restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel London Ten Trinity Square – is celebrate the annual Japanese Sakura season with a magical, floral-adorned installation, and a seasonal menu of smaller plates.
Running until 29th April, you’ll be welcomed to Mei Ume for a spot of Hanami – the traditional Japanese custom of ‘flower viewing’, most commonly the cherry blossom, and a ritual dedicated to enjoying the transient beauty of flowers. The heart of Mei Ume is now adorned with an arching display of pink and white blossom flowers in full bloom, and if you’re dining at the bar, you can sit beneath twisting boughs of blossom branches, intertwined with hanging lanterns.
Beneath the colourful canopy, enjoy a seasonal menu of smaller plates including Ika Karaage, a dish of crispy deep-fried squid; Nasu Dengaku, sweet and sticky miso grilled aubergines; and Wagyu Beef Yaki Gyoza. Larger dishes include Tori Yaki Udon and Saba Shiroyaki, a crispy salt-grilled mackerel and Salmon Donburi with salmon sashimi, salmon roe, avocado and shiso leaf. No Japanese feast would be complete without sushi – think Beef Tataki, Prawn Maki and selection of Nigiri.
Alongside the dishes, Director of Wine, Jan Konetzki, has curated a selection of seasonal sake, fringe tea and wines with a Japanese accent, choosing labels that pair perfectly with the dishes, either as palate cleansers, softeners of strong flavours or umami expanders. And don’t miss Mixologist, Ayoub Radi’s specialist cocktail, the Sakura-yu, otherwise known as ‘Cherry Blossom Tea’, which features floral Mancino Sakura Vermouth, Vodka and Sparkling Sake.
For further information, visit Mei Ume’s website here.
10 Trinity Square, London EC3N 4AJ
