Beneath the grand stone façade of Brighton’s former Post Office building, now home to The Ivy Asia Brighton, Sakura season has arrived in an explosion of blossom-pink cocktails, polished sushi platters and unapologetic theatricality.
I visited this week with my pint-sized dining companion to explore the restaurant’s limited edition cherry blossom inspired spring menu, available until the end of May, and The Ivy Asia in the city’s South Lanes area has embraced the brief wholeheartedly. Sakura season is Japan’s spring cherry blossom phenomenon, occurring from late March to early April in major cities like Tokyo and Kyoto, with blooming progressing northward through May. It’s an arresting sight by all accounts.
The building itself remains one of Brighton’s most visually arresting dining spaces. Green quartz glows beneath dramatic lighting, golden details shimmer across every surface, and a serene Buddha watches over diners from the restaurant’s richly layered interior. The venue, once connected to the world of suffragist and social reformer Clementina Black who lived here in another era, this now feels more like stepping into an opulent cinematic fantasy than a city centre restaurant.
Before dinner, guests can settle into the striking pagoda-style bar area flanked by cherry blossom trees, creating an atmospheric backdrop for the Sakura cocktail menu developed in partnership with Ukiyo and Fever-Tree. This is a restaurant designed for occasion-dining, somewhere that understands people increasingly want meals to feel immersive and memorable rather than simply functional. There’s also a private dining area upstairs for those wanting a more intimate experience.
I began with the Blossom and Tonic, made with Ukiyo Japanese Blossom Gin, Acai and Fever-Tree Rhubarb and Raspberry tonic. This was served in glowing shades of vivid pink with fruit suspended within the glass and illuminated by the restaurant’s dramatic lighting, it looked almost too pretty to drink. Fortunately, it tasted good too, delicately floral without becoming overpoweringly sweet. My younger dining companion, meanwhile, enthusiastically demolished an apple fizz, a sparkling Japanese apple soda which disappeared almost immediately.
The Ivy Asia understands spectacle. Every drink, plate and corner of the restaurant feels carefully curated to create escapism and atmosphere, and on a grey Monday evening in spring, there was something genuinely uplifting about surrendering to it all for a couple of hours.
We opted to begin with two small plates. My companion chose the Gochujang Glazed Chicken Karaage, crisp-fried chicken coated in a spicy sweet Korean style glaze, served on a banana leaf with toasted sesame, pickled cucumber, kefir lime mayonnaise and soy sauce for dipping. I was permitted a very small taste before being firmly informed that this dish ranked ‘9.5 out of 10’ and that further sharing was not encouraged. Fair enough. The chicken itself was excellent, properly crisp beneath the sticky glaze, with enough heat to balance the sweetness. I was also a fan of the side dish of mayonnaise, which offered a creamy yet punchy accompaniment to the Korean glaze.
I chose the Pork and Kimchi Gyoza, steamed and seared dumplings filled with richly savoury pork meatballs alongside kimchi, spring onion and coriander. As someone deeply devoted to a good gyoza, this was always likely to be a winning choice. I am also among the unfortunate percentage of the population who cannot really cope with coriander, but thankfully, this was a lighter touch, so the balance leaned more heavily towards spring onion and the punchier fermented flavour of the kimchi.
A second round of drinks followed. My companion selected a Sour Cherry Japanese soda which, turned out rather sweeter than its name suggested, though this did not prevent it vanishing swiftly. I meanwhile ventured into stronger territory with the Nashi Mule, a potent combination of Ukiyo Nashi Pear Gin, elderflower, ginger and Fever-Tree Ginger Beer. This was a pretty potent combo for a quiet Monday evening, and I briefly felt like I had bitten off more than I could chew. It perhaps hit a little harder than anticipated. The flavours were bold and warming, with the ginger particularly assertive, although personally I would probably opt for one of the lighter blossom cocktails on a future visit.
The Sakura drinks menu offers plenty of alternatives however, including the Blossom Paloma, Yuzu and Elderflower and the Blossom Club with gin, Aperol and cherry blossom. These sit alongside the restaurant’s extensive year round cocktail selection.
For our next course we shared the Futari Platter, featuring salmon nigiri, tuna nigiri, with California maki rolls and prawn tempura maki rolls, accompanied by pickled ginger and a nose clearing wasabi. Beautifully presented with fresh chopsticks and vibrant colour throughout, the California rolls were coated in tobiko fish eggs (Japanese Flying Fish) which added both texture, umami flavour, and visual drama.
The fish itself tasted notably fresh and clean, while the tempura rolls delivered the satisfying crunch expected from a good sharing platter. The Ivy Asia may not claim strict authenticity as it covers a pan Asian approach to its menu, but it absolutely understands balance, texture and presentation. These are dishes designed for communal eating and conversation, encouraging diners to share food, try new flavours, and linger rather than rush.
Also on offer is an extensive menu including a refreshing Cucumber & Mizuna Salad, Robata Grilled Miso chicken with a gently smoky, umami glaze, King Prawn and Chilli Garlic Noodles bringing heat and aromatics, and a Ssamjang Beef Steak, pairing charred, tender beef with a punchy Korean-inspired seasoning. Designed to be ordered together and shared, the dishes create a layered journey through spice, texture and temperature that pairs naturally with the Cherry Blossom cocktail list.
By the time pudding arrived, we were already struggling somewhat with stomach space, but the Cherry Blossom Sumo dessert proved impossible not to admire. Cherry-flavoured soft serve ice cream arrived topped with white chocolate and cherry-flavoured crispy crunch pearls alongside sugared mini doughnuts filled with passion fruit liquid centres. The entire dish swept onto the table, surrounded by clouds of theatrical smoke and vapour, prompting immediate delight from nearby diners as well as ourselves.
Despite sharing a single dessert between us, the portion was impressively generous and ultimately defeated us before we could finish it entirely. Nonetheless, it was hugely enjoyable, playful without becoming cloying, and exactly the kind of show-stopping finale this style of dining experience demands.
What The Ivy Asia does particularly well is atmosphere. Brighton already possesses a wealth of smaller independent Asian restaurants quietly producing exceptional food without the marble floors and dramatic lighting. But this venue offers something slightly different. Dining here feels immersive, celebratory and unapologetically glamorous. Even though it was a Monday night, it was busy with diners which is always a positive sign on the kind of day that many restaurants take off due to slow trade.
At a time when many people are exhausted, overstretched and watching every penny, there is still value in occasionally leaning into a bit of theatre. Sakura Season captures that escapist spirit rather beautifully. The cocktails are playful, the dishes vibrant and the entire experience wrapped in blossom-pink fantasy. For a spring evening in Brighton, it makes for a rather lovely way to briefly forget the outside world exists at all.
Details
Sakura Season menu at Ivy Asia
Dates: Menu running until 31 May 2026
Venue: The Ivy Asia, 51 Ship St, Brighton and Hove, Brighton BN1 1AF
Accessible: Details here
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