Please note, Atami is now closed. Time Out Food & Drink editors, Feb 2016.
Atami's seductive Wallpaper*-esque design – all dim lighting and low-slung, pan-Asian influences – attracts Westminster’s political crowd and, in the evenings, the odd trysting couple seeking the dark corners, away from the sweeping glass walls. The menu is a mix of traditional Japanese dishes, newfangled fusion ideas, and a few meaty grills (ribeye steak, marinated lamb chop) that are seemingly there to satisfy meat-and-two-veg types unfamiliar with the Japanese menu. We steered a course for traditional Japanese and weren’t disappointed in our tender, delicate yellowtail maki or tempura onion and sweet potato (although the tempura batter was slightly on the thick side). A more modish dish of deep-fried soft-shell crab and spinach wrapped up, nigiri-style, in a thin slice of cucumber and served with a citrus sauce studded with green peppercorns, was an unexpected delight: simultaneously hot, crisp, cool and sharp. ‘New-style’ sea bass sashimi wasn’t served au naturel, as is traditional ‘old style’, but instead drizzled with a vibrant, fresh-tasting shiso vinaigrette of which Nobu would have been proud. Prices reflect Westminster expense accounts and service can be dozy, but the standard of cooking generally warrants the wallet damage.