Sushi Room

Sushi Room isn't strictly a Japanese restaurant, nor is it designed to hurt your wallet. Yes, there are omakase and enkai (banquet) menus typical of high-end Japanese diners. And yes, there are vintage bottles of Cristal on the extensive wine list. But you can also just roll in during the week and keep it sensible on an à la carte basis, from an otherwise affordable menu that’s composed almost entirely of sushi and sashimi. There’s no no karaage and kewpie mayo here.

Instead, it might be nigiri and sashimi of kingfish or grouper; vinegar-mackerel and bug-tempura sushi rolls; tempura lobster; toothfish and Wagyu yakimono; and Sturia oscietra caviar. Everything on the menu speaks to market-best produce, which is also true of the STK Group’s other restaurants inside The Calile Hotel – Hellenika-goers flick to the Fresh Fish Market menu to get at that restaurant’s true essence. Downstairs, SK Steak & Oyster pays similar attention to its beef.

The drinks list includes roughly 20 sakes, various shochus and umeshus, and 30-plus whiskies. An internationally roaming wine list peaks at a handy rather than hair-raising 160 bottles, but you can also go deep from the neighbouring Hellenika and SK Steak & Oyster cellar lists, if you please.

From the food to the physical design, Sushi Room is a celebration of minimalism. One of the few extravagances is head chef Shimpei Raikuni’s collection of Kurieto tableware, with each dish matched to a certain plate. Otherwise, the Richards & Spence design takes inspiration from 1960s neo-futurism. Downstairs, the 60-seat dining room is fitted out with stone-top tables, grey upholstered booths and vertical blinds. In pride of place is a solid hinoki timber counter imported from Japan, while a textured domed ceiling provides a peek into an upstairs private dining room, painted bright red.