Offering refreshing shaved-ice cocktails and Japanese street food, the Roku Terrace at Pantechnicon is the place to be this summer
Words: Zach Rowe
A Japanese-inspired gin experience, a collaboration between Roku Gin, Pantechnicon and Grosvenor, has arrived in Belgravia for the summer months. The Roku Terrace can be found in Halkin Arcade in Motcomb Street and will run until September.
Guests can expect a wide variety of flavoured, shaved ice cocktails. These drinks, all of which are derived from Roku’s gin, are variations on the traditional Japanese dessert, kakigori. The drinks offered at The Roku Terrace are all rooted in the six botanicals that make Roku’s gin unique.
Guests can enjoy trying flavours such as Darjeeling & Strawberry, Melon & Matcha, and Salted Yuzu. The latter is a favourite of Brett Mendoza-Farias, operations director at Pantechnicon. “Crafted by Pantechnicon’s expert team of mixologists, I predict the shaved ice Roku gin cocktails to be trending this summer,” he says. The mixology team is led by Gento Torigata, of the world renowned Jigger & Pony bar in Singapore.
The terrace also has a selection of traditional Japanese street foods available. You can pair your drinks with dishes such as fried octopus Takoyaki, a vegan kimchi called Veganyaki and for those with a sweet tooth, Yuzuyaki, pancake balls loaded with a yuzu curd and strawberry filling.
“The terrace is a private, sun-drenched space adorned with Japanese flora and fauna, ideal for a multitude of celebrations from low-key catch-ups with friends to larger festivities and private takeovers,” says Brett.
Throughout the summer, Roku Gin will be hosting their own celebration of Japanese cuisine in the form of Takoyaki masterclasses. Consumers can learn, through both instruction and practice, how to create the very dishes that are on the menu.
“We are very excited to be working in collaboration with Pantechnicon and the brilliant Roku Gin,” Paul O’Grady, director of Belgravia at Grosvenor, said. “Following the Platinum Jubilee, there is a real buzz in the air in London and lots of anticipation for summer in the city. This is a fun and innovative concept designed to give people a real sense of escapism.”
The scenery of the terrace is brought together by a bar backdrop inspired by the works of Japanese artist Ikko Tanaka. His unique graphic design sees a blending of geometric modernism and Japanese traditionalism. The combination of the former with more classical, wooden finishes and Japanese plantlife will provide a social space unlike any other in the neighbourhood.
The Roku Terrace runs until September 11.
