Matsuri St.James’s launch stylish new bar to compliment their restaurant

On 6^th of July, The Matsuri St James’s restaurant launched its new bar offering a divine selection of drinks including Champagne Besserat 2011, White Wine, Albarino Baixes 2011, Red Wine Merlot Santa Ana 2009, Kirin Ichiban Draught beer, Pink Grapefruit Sour, Sipsmith Vodka and Sipsmith Gin & Tonic.  

The launch was a success and it demonstrated why Matsuri has been running for the past 20 years. Friendly employees walked around and offered a variety of sushi and other Japanese cuisines. Manager, Cristoforo Santani said they wanted to launch the bar to revitalize the restaurant. He said they wanted something new, so they put in a large bar that offers plenty of seats. The bar has a simple and classy look to it with black dominating most of the background and the seat colours. In addition, Matsuri hired three new professional bartenders, who do their job very well. They were smiling, personable and making whatever drinks people desired. 

The launch took place at this particular time because of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Tokyo, Japan, is currently in the bid for the 2020 Olympics and officials are paying close attention to the London Olympics. Matsuri is a joint partnership between Central Japan Railway Company, which is the major high-speed railway company and Kikkoman, a world famous soy sauce company. The bid for the Olympics is very important to Matsuri and will offer services to the Japanese during the games.

The main restaurant floor is downstairs, which has side rooms in addition to the main dining area. One of the different dining options is Teppan-yaki, which is fresh fish, meat and vegetables cooked by a chef on an iron grill in front of the customers. This style of cooking is often popular with large groups. You can also dine at a sushi bar or order traditionally from their menu that offers a variety of items. The menu has many affordable items, but also some items that can be very expensive, but it is well worth it. You can get a sushi roll (usually six pieces) from 4 to 11 pounds or you could order some of the more expensive options like salmon and lobster.  

In its entirety, the bar launch for Matsuri St James’s was a hit. It revealed a new and re-vamped bar, complimented by new and professional bartenders. Along with the bar, there is also a lounge area that is available for members of the restaurant. The manager Santani would like to hold events at the restaurant in the future, but is not sure yet and doesn’t want to say anything on the record. Matsuri, which means “festival” in Japanese, will provide you with a great time and will give you the opportunity to try its savory and fresh food. Customers at the bar launch stated that Matsuri offers great tasting traditional Japanese food and has the best sushi in London.      

Clifton Graves

Photos: Matsuri-restaurant.com

For more information on Matsuri St James’s, click here, and to take a look at its menu, click here.