Joined at the hip with the bright and bubbly Long Bar on the ground floor of the 5-star Sanderson Hotel, Suka serves up sophisticated Malaysian food at hefty prices, and if you’re a sucker for dining in a party atmosphere, this is very entertaining place to do it.

The Venue
The Sanderson Hotel is not your average luxury hotel. Arrive in the evening and the ground floor is already rocking. With a stylish outdoor area - visible through glass windows from the bar and the restaurant - providing extra covers for bar patrons and diners, and a party vibe in full effect, this is dinner table with plenty of visual stimulation.

An L-shaped space, the first thing you are asked on arrival is whether you’d prefer to sit indoors or out. The covered and heated outdoor area is actually the best spot, but if you’re other half doesn’t fancy braving it, you will be offered seats in the dining area, where part of the kitchen’s prep area is visible. Functional high stools, black seats, wooden tables and eastern-inspired light features of various shapes and sizes dominate, although the presence of a little white JBL speaker pumping out tunes above your head isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea.

The Atmosphere
Ever been stuck for conversation at the dinner table? You won’t be here as a range of intriguing characters hover into view. From women of a certain age demolishing bottles of vino and being chatted up by random guys to moneyed international businessmen flying solo and groups of fashionable, excitable girlfriends on a night out, this is an animated scene. With Arcadia, H&M amongst the fashion and entertainment offices within walking distance of the hotel’s front doors, Suka is very much in the thick of it.

The Food
Quality Malaysian food with the odd fancy flourish is pretty much the idea. The menu suggests sharing six dishes between two but portions are noticeably bigger than you might expect, so four or five between two people is more than sufficient. Prices are reflective of the 5-star surroundings and plates fluctuate from around £6-£25-plus.

The dishes can be divided into two piles: a beautiful nasi goring (fried rice with egg and crunchy onion slivers, £11), creamy butter prawns with a lick of something aniseedy in the mix (£15), and the salt marsh lamb with groan-inducing black lentil stew (£16) excel; doughy roti (£5), and a decidedly uncrispy barbecue chicken (£13) fail to follow suit. One dish that divides opinion – the thinly sliced rare duck breast (£22) soaked in a fiercely intense ginger and foie gras sauce is enjoyed by adventurous palettes, less so by those with more timid tastes.

The Drink
Quality cocktails (£12) can be knocked-up round the corner at the Long Bar and they even do rum-based sharing cocktails (£25), a sign if ever there was one that this is a party-orientated restaurant. Wine’s not cheap but they do have some astute selection on their shortlist, including a Shiraz from Australia which offers a jammy blast of ripe berry flavour at around the £35 a bottle mark.

The Last Word
Suka is a restaurant that’s just as memorable for the people-watching and party atmosphere as it is the food. It sure beats a stuffy dining room any day of the week.

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