Though in actuality, the piraña (piranha) is a South American omnivorous fish, in common tradition it’s a flesh-eating (human) killing machine and to be averted in any respect prices. Its identify conjures up an unique frisson, maybe a glamorous hazard, most actually a presence which suggests unforgettable, fairly probably terminal, journey. From the corporate that turned Mahiki into Tabu, a Yakuza impressed underworld and made The Reign of London the denizen of Dom Perignon, Piraña is Strongarm’s latest enterprise. Situated on the backside of St James, the place the legendary Avenue held court docket for a lot of a yr, Piraña presents an unique mixture of Peruvian and Japanese delicacies.
A disarmingly pleasant bouncer unclasps a blue VIP rope outdoors the venue. A few steps inside and the reception doubles as a cloakroom. The lengthy bar which leads into the restaurant is ribbed with wavy picket slats on its facet and ceiling. The impact is paying homage to a whale’s gaping ribcage. The bar’s sq. lightbox tables show abstractions which may very well be seashells or actually sea shapes.
If this a part of Piraña is oceanic, crisp and clear, its eating house is cavernous, darkish and atmospheric. Most spectacular of all is the best facet wall, in all probability 25 metres in size and seven in peak. With its rugged crannies and steps, it may very well be a sheer granite rock face or a Leviathan’s pores and skin and is a daring visible assertion though about what, it’s arduous to inform.
Now we have a two-hour window and are seated in a nook furthest away from the doorway. Our waiter chooses our menu and brings us a Spice Hearth and Girl cocktail. The previous is a Tanqueray 10 Gin fused with apple liqueur and juice. It’s adorned with slices of pink pepper and a purple flower, is slick and refreshing. The latter is an extended vodka drink, and, containing raspberry purée and raspberry powder, is way fruitier and thicker.
Plantain crisps are served as an appetiser with a tomato and chipotle salsa. The starters come quick and thick. The edamame have a moreish and salty char-grilled flavour. The ocean bass ceviche is adorned with a dried, pinkish/purple candy potato leaf and has dollops of extra conventional colored candy potato purée. In addition to the ocean bass, giant kernels of corn add an additional texture to the general zingy flavour. The spicy tuna maki rolls are crammed with avocado and strips of cucumber while the tuna on the surface is adorned with finely chopped scallion.
The excellent plate is, initially, probably the most complicated. It is perhaps a dish of desiccated octopus tentacles. Underneath the dim lighting, they give the impression of being uncanny, scary virtually, like malevolent bugs, like they could immediately creep or crawl, like they could chunk again. Like one thing out of Cronenberg’s Bare Lunch. Even one thing conjured up by HR Giger. They consist primarily of curved bobbles. Our waiter tells us they’re ribs however even this doesn’t appear fairly proper. We sprinkle the lime and neither bounce nor dive however cautiously dip our fingers in. Glazed with a caramel brushing we’re presupposed to style the squelch of chewy however flavoursome corn niblets. The cob is minimize vertically for the boney, rib impact and an uncommon, if not in London, distinctive serving of a corn on the cob dish.
We take a fast breather and extra of the identical cocktails earlier than mains. 4 chunks of rooster are tender and succulent, chargrilled with pores and skin for added texture. A clean inexperienced jalapeño sauce provides a refined spice in the event you’re so inclined. The salmon teriyaki can also be succulent and its honey/soy glaze, thick. Tender stem broccoli are sprinkled with sesame seeds and served with a nice sesame sauce dip.
A DJ performs all through the night and the music is a form of benign home. I’m wondering if this arrange is just like that of Sketch which opened again in 2003 and, in its personal method, revolutionised the eating expertise by clearing the ground of tables and turning the restaurant into an evening membership. No. Sadly not. A disgrace as a result of the central house is giant sufficient and the DJ decks positioned to make such a situation work. At one level the ceiling, loaded with advanced rigging, even flashes with glee. However actually for a second; a heat, orange/blue glow. It’s as if the ceiling needed to work in a nightclub however its mother and father would let it. I ask our waiter if anybody does dance; apparently typically, by the house close to the bogs.
We share a dessert which consists of three quenelle-shaped scoops; a chocolate ice cream, a matcha ice cream and a yuzu sorbet. Time immediately appears to be on our facet and we nonetheless have half an hour to spare. Piraña has an in depth Espresso Martini menu which we peruse for a second dessert. Past the traditional, there’s a Rum infused Gouté, a Luxurious one with gold espresso beans and gold flake and a Mezcal one. I go for a Tiramisu which is a heady concoction and precisely as you’d hope; like ingesting a Tiramisu pudding. In addition to Baileys and recent mascarpone, it’s delivered with a small circle of edible rice paper with the restaurant’s brand stamped on it. My good friend has the Choco & Orange. It’s served with a slice of orange peel held onto the glass with a dainty garments peg. The fusion is much less harmonious than the Tiramisu but it surely nonetheless packs a welcome punch and virtually makes us need to dance.
