The new Lucky Cat takes Ramsay literally to a new level

I expect I won’t be the only person to make the above joke, but it is irresistible.

Lucky Cat Mayfair, ex Maze, is a subterranean place that even in the middle of the day feels a bit naughty, but Bishopsgate is a very different kettle of sexy fish.

We go in via the grand downstairs area, having satisfied Security that we have good reason to be allowed in. There are airport style security scanners to pass as well, but fortunately you don’t have to take your belt off. I once rather farcically had my trousers fall down at Gatwick after I removed my belt. My wife still dissolves into giggles whenever she thinks about it.

A dedicated lift whisks us up sixty floors to emerge in a rather mysterious corridor which we follow round until Bang! we’re suddenly in front of floor to ceiling windows looking down on London. It is quite stunning and it takes a moment for me to snap out of it and answer the repeated requests to take my coat. I think the staff are used to it.

The space is large; an open kitchen, a sushi ‘bar’, a real bar and then lots of tables and chairs all enjoying the 360 view of London . We sit at a two-topper a few feet from the glass.

I thought this might give me vertigo, but it’s like being in a ‘plane so it doesn’t. Down below is Skygarden, dwarfed by 22, and opposite is the Shard. Owing to some quirk of sea level measurement, this restaurant is actually higher than the one in the Shard.

It really is quite an amazing view and it takes us some time to stop saying  ‘look there’s xxxx!’  and instead look at the menu, which is large and not easy to make decisions over.

So we go for the Signature Menu, which has nine courses, a decision that lets us sit back and relax. The first nibbly things, Padron peppers and edamame are fine.

I like Padrons but there never seem to be any properly hot ones anymore, is it climate change? The Russian Roulette thrill has long gone, but these are well toasted and the holy basil dip with them, while something no Spaniard will have ever seen, does work very well though.

Edamames are edamames, fun to toy with but what can you really say? These could have had more rock salt on them, I can say that at least.

The chef’s selection of mixed sushi is more exciting. I’d tried some Lucky Cat sushi in Mayfair at a masterclass so I knew it would be top quality and so it proved. Salmon, sea bass, tuna sashimi, all sparkling fresh and prettily presented with of course soy, pickled ginger and wasabi.

These come with some Urumaki (inside out) maki rolls which are fine, but if I am being picky I’d have to say the rice is a tad undercooked and crunchy. However, for all I know this may be how it should be. It doesn’t stop them being delicious,  which is the main thing

A plate of mushroom tempura with a black garlic emulsion is impressive, the lacy thin batter crisp against the rich ‘shrooms and even better when dobbed into the sweet, tangy, umami, and salty emulsion.

Then surface hand-dived scallops, yuzu, and sweetcorn. The scallops are excellent, merely kissed platonically by the grill and I do like the citric bite of yuzu. Cutting the sweet corn into strips was a neat idea.

And then the two big hitters, first ribeye with Thai flavoured chimichurri. This comes to the table looking like one big steak but it is an illusion, it has already been cut into bite-sized pieces which makes it easy to share and easy to dip in the tasty, non- authentic, chimichurri.

The steak is excellent, well-grilled outside and ‘a point’ inside. This is the sort of thing the local Henry Hedge-Fyndes are definitely going to love.

We love the Chilean Sea Bass with its luminous exterior of, I suspect, a mix of miso and mirin, which has been torched to create little patches of burned deliciousness. Inside is buttery and delicate and the sesame cucumber was a good texture contrast.

With both dishes we pile on some kimchi fried rice, with an egg stirred in and cooked at the table in the rice’s residual heat. Again I think the rice is a bit underdone, but this is not the consensus opinion so…. Anyway I like it, I love kimchi.

So the event is almost over, we’re a few glasses of wine down and feeling slightly mellow and rather stuffed. Still dessert has to be done and it’s a very pretty one, a cherry blossom and chocolate delice with whisky ice cream.

Overall a pretty good visit to what is destined to be a London landmark restaurant, and whilst you don’t get the amazing daytime view at night of course, you do get to see London all prettily lit up, plus a DJ to make it even more of an experience.

I got a bit of a Dubai vibe off the place, international money having a night out, and that’s probably what’s being aimed at. The Instas are going to be everywhere. 

The only odd thing was that the lift back down drops us at the rear of the building, a dreary kind of tradesman’s entrance, which makes us feel  a little like we’ve been given the bum’s rush. Perhaps we got the wrong lift? It certainly brought us back down to earth.

Website

Need to know

The express lunch menu offers three courses for £35 and for those wanting to make the most of their weekends, a free-flowing brunch is available on Saturdays and Sundays. An exclusive private dining room is available for up to 18 guests.

The bar has a late-night license—until 1 am Monday to Wednesday, and 3 am Thursday to Saturday.

A complimentary chauffeur service is available for guests traveling to and from Liverpool Street Station. The service operates from 5:00pm to midnight on weekdays, 12:00pm to midnight on Saturdays, and 12:00pm to 8:00pm on Sundays.