SUSHISAMBA - W Edinburgh

Agency: Jestico + Whiles
Client: Nuveen Global

As the centrepiece of Edinburgh’s newest neighbourhood, St James Quarter, W Edinburgh is a landmark luxury hotel that has established itself as a destination for music, fashion and food and drink through its celebration of the city’s famous festival spirit.

The hotel comprises three distinct buildings positioned around the newly redefined, historic St James Square, acting as a focal point and performance space for both the square and the wider city. The Ribbon Building, the centrepiece of the hotel, is a bold and striking architectural statement that embodies Edinburgh’s culture of rebellion and creativity. The building innovatively positions public areas on the uppermost floors, where the hotel’s three innovative drinking and dining options are located, each offering a playful twist on Scottish culinary culture. The W Lounge acts as the social heart of the hotel, featuring a 12-metre monolithic rock bar carved from granite and 360-degree views of the city. João’s Place, meanwhile, is an intimate speakeasy designed to evoke a 1960s Sao Paolo apartment, complementing the Brazilian, Japanese and Peruvian fusion cuisine on offer at the hotel’s main restaurant, Scotland’s first SUSHISAMBA – the focus of this entry. SUSHISAMBA boasts unobstructed, panoramic views across the city. Guests can take in sights from Calton Hill to Edinburgh Castle and as far as the Forth Bridge, as well as a spectacular sunrise view of the volcanic crag of Arthur’s Seat. The restaurant takes the form of a continuous arc, with zones denoting a hierarchy of formality and energy. To one side, there’s calmer, more intimate dining, while the other side is a more frenetic zone beside a fiery live cooking station. On arrival, guests are greeted by a blossoming orange tree – an iconic symbol of the SUSHISAMBA brand – that bursts through the centre of an island round bar, branching out and upwards through a large rooflight that enables visual connection not just to the floor above, but all the way up to the roof terrace above that. An inner wall of charred timber wrap around the restaurant, leading guest to the hot flames of the open kitchen at one end, or a secluded private room at the other. The restaurant forms part of a bold and dynamic offering that celebrates the famous spirit of Edinburgh.