What: A 110-cover dining and entertainment venue where Mayfair meets St James’s.
Who: PIRAÑA is operated by Strongarm Hospitality, whose other venues include The London REIGN, YŪKI, TABŪ London and TABŪ Mykonos. Led by founder Asher Grant, it marks Strongarm’s first move into restaurants.
The food: Nikkei cuisine – a Peruvian and Japanese fusion – is PIRAÑA’s speciality and it doesn’t do things by halves. The menu is extensive and is divided into appetisers, raw (including sashimi), small dishes, rice and noodles and salads alongside a range of skewers and speciality dishes. Appetisers include supremely buttery sweet corn ribs with a yuzu kosho seasoning while highlights from the raw section include tuna tataki with amarillo sauce; and seabream ceviche. Also available is a selection of sushi rolls, including ones made with spicy tuna, diver scallop, salmon and avocado, and soft-shell crab, and ‘premium sushi’ such as seared otoro; oscietra caviar; and spicy lobster tempura maki. Other highlights include soft or crunchy tacos with the option of lamb, chicken, seabass, tuna, king crab, and tempura mushroom; lamb chops anticucho (pictured below); and salmon teriyaki. Prices are high but befit the quality of the cooking and the ingredients and are not out of step with the venue’s location. That said, there’s always the option to go bigger – a ‘luxe’ section of the menu offers frozen shots and beluga caviar for £499, and steaks include a 1kg Australian tomahawk that will set you back £350.
To drink: If the espresso martini is your thing, then PIRAÑA is the place to head. Alongside its signature and classics cocktail selections, the restaurant has an eight-strong list dedicated to the caffeine-fuelled drink. Options include the Mocha, made with mocha coffee; Tiramisu that features Baileys Tiramisu, coffee liqueur and mascarpone; and Choco & Orange, made with Belvedere vodka, freshly brewed coffee, chocolate syrup, coffee liqueur and orange bitters. There’s also a large champagne and spirits offer to keep people in the party mood.
The vibe: Described in the pr blurb as an ‘architecturally daring restaurant’, PIRAÑA is an impressive space that is very much of the ‘clubstaurant’ mould - as the evening progresses the dining room resembles more a Las Vegas nightclub than a St James’s dining room, with club style lighting and a live DJ spinning the decks until 1am. Subtlety is not PIRAÑA’s strong suit, with regular interruptions from chanting and clapping staff, often with sparklers held aloft, presenting diners with the more expensive menu items. Needless to say, it’s not for everyone, but it wasn’t short of willing participants on the Thursday night that we visited.
And another thing: PIRAÑA’s toilets (see above) are something to behold. Divided by a large aquarium that is home to a shoal of piranhas (although sadly it had been emptied for cleaning on our visit) the temptation to try and replicate the famous aquarium scene from Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet is hard to resist.
7-9 St James's Street, London, SW1A 1EE