I love a fusion. Pan-Asian fusion, Scandinavian-French fusion, Cold fusion. If you get it right, you can literally re-invent traditional dishes using the very best parts of each and bring them into an entirely new and modern light.

(After experimenting with my own brand of Greek-Irish fusion cooking, I can tell you that this is not a guaranteed success story.)

So, when you take on the task of merging 3 (Peruvian, Brazilian and Japanese) cultures, it is twice as hard but when it’s done well, it is 100 times as rewarding. Enter SushiSamba Las Vegas under Joel Versola.

There are certain things that demand consistency… Souffle,  Hendricks served with Cucumber (People have disappeared for using lime instead) and SushiSamba.

With 5 locations in the trendiest cities the world, keeping a consistently exceptional level is essential and their continuous ability to do so is impressive.

The Booze:

Globally, SushiSamba is known not only as a restaurant, but also as a pretty great tipple spot. With Richard Woods (aka the_cocktailguy) at the creative cocktail helm for the group, the cocktails are a bit of a known entity within the brand and it is obvious why.

We went through a fair few in order to give you the scope on them. (Yes, I took one for the team… you’re welcome) including the Cafe Millionario (Coffee-washed dark Bacardi Black, Tonka bean infused maple syrup, dark chocolate and the obligatory espresso shot). Just. Wow.

The Food:

I love Sashimi. It’s probably one of the very few very healthy foods that I rave about (and beats the hell out of kale) and when you team it with a little heat, it’s an utter dreamboat.

Two great selections for groups are the Assorted Sashimi Platter or the Kanpachi tiradito hearts. 

With heat in mind, we had the Yellowtail with jalapeño and lemongrass. It was fabulous and a good combination of “fresh” and “spicy”…. and an excuse to speak solely in adjectives apparently.

We had this with the Crispy Taquitos, made to order with  either Wagyu Beef or Yellowtail and served with spicy aji panca sauce and fresh lime. (These are more than a little addictive…)

Then an absolute given with me… The Salt and Pepper squid. Theirs comes with dry miso, shichimi, sea salt, crispy garlic and smoked soy. I don’t mind being predictable with these.

We also had the Rock shrimp tempura (with golden pea shoot, snap pea julienne, spicy mayonnaise, black truffle vinaigrette) and the LIMA shrimp tempura with spicy king crab & avocado and the EL TOPO®* salmon, jalapeño, shiso leaf, red onion, with fresh melted mozzarella & crispy onion. These were outstanding.

Now. Stop. Just stop. This is maybe the best Sea Bass I have had and it comes in the form of the SEA BASS miso and Peruvian corn. If you don’t get this dish then frankly, shame on you.

For those of you who are Sashimi-apprehansive (have a word with yourself) and prefer the more meaty side of Peruvian/Japanese, there are the Lamb chops with red miso and lime and the Robata Ribeye. Incidentally, rib-eye is my favourite cut and the Robata (literally meaning Fire-Side cooking) works well in retaining the flavour of the meat.

So, if you have a sweet tooth, you may be wondering what we had for dessert, and I can tell you the answer is…. Everything… and I mean EVERYTHING.

As the indecisive group we are, instead of picking one thing, we received the most sensational masterpiece of sugar coated heaven.

This included the huge Samba Split (with dolce de leite ice cream, caramelised bananas, coconut flan, dried pineapple, caramel popcorn, fresh berries AND Japanese whisky whipped cream), the Mochi soft Japanese rice cake filled with ice cream and their warm Japanese mini doughnuts. Just marinade yourselves in that image for a while.

Should you be “that guy” in the group and want to feel as if you are being healthy, then there are a host of sorbets and fruits like the Soya Pasión soy ‘cloud’ with graham crumbs, strawberry gelée, mango passion sorbet

This restaurant delivers the best foods from 3 different cultures and does it all with a punchy cocktail in your hand and a cool atmosphere. What else could you want??

SUSHISAMBA – The Palazzo, 3327 Las Vegas Blvd. Las Vegas, Nevada 89109