A true standout on Lincoln Road, SUSHISAMBA Miami Beach features the best in outdoor dining with broad promenade seating, an indoor lounge with a mural by California-based street artist Aaron de la Cruz, Brazilian Copacabana inspired flooring and two vibrant bars welcoming guests from both the front and rear of the restaurant. SUSHISAMBA's outdoor patio flanks both sides of the promenade, presenting a premier spot for enjoying the ever-lively South Beach scene, shaded by the location's giant orange umbrellas. Located just blocks from the beach, SUSHISAMBA is a long-standing favorite for Miami locals and visitors alike. 600 Lincoln RoadMiami Beach, FL 33139305/673-5337 Price for a 3-course meal $$$$ / $50 or More Please enter your e-mail address to receive our e-newsletter. Thank you for subscribing to our Miami Insider eNewsletterThirty-eight floors above the City, one of the world's most ambitious indoor/outdoor elevated restaurants; prices are high, but the place was already into an impressive swing on our day-one visit - even though the trendy Japanese/South American cuisine is rather incidental, this will surely be one of 2012's major talking points.

Destination dining is a worrying phrase, but surely the appropriate one for this new venture, looking down on London from the 38th and 39th floors of the City's Heron Tower. Yes, that's 30 floors higher than Oxo Tower, the only indoor/outdoor restaurant in London on anything like a comparable scale. Indeed, it seems that London's Sushisamba - an offshoot of two earthbound ventures in New York - is one of the most ambitiously-elevated restaurant complexes anywhere in the world. (The only one we know of that's broadly similar in concept is on the 62nd floor of a hotel in Bangkok.) The backers of the new London venture have sensibly let the setting speak for itself: the light and airy interior design is unintrusive to a fault: why bother with too much theming when you have the whole capital as your backdrop? The concept works best as darkness draws in. The dining room itself looks east, which certainly seemed very 'now' during the Olympics, but deprives visitors of the more obvious picture postcard views of the City and West End - and they are indeed breathtaking - which you get from the lift, from the bar and (especially) from around the staircase which leads to the 39th floor.

(From there you can ascend yet again to a semi-separate venture called Duck & Waffle, which is set to be London's first 24/7 quality restaurant of recent times.)sushi making kit kmart It is thanks to those views, presumably, that cocktails, pretty decent as they are, weigh in at around £12 each. sushi to go buteWell, you're paying for elevation aren't you? sushi grade fish sacramento caAnd arguably pretty good value, if you find yourself on the terrace, under the (artificial) tree on a warm evening. jiro dreams of sushi leadership(We had to use our imagination for that last bit.) We visited on the first paying night, when the operation was, in every sense, already in impressively full swing.

Indeed, if we hadn't bumped into the PR (who had given us a 'walk-around' a couple of weeks before), we suspect we wouldn't have secured a proper table, and have had to content ourselves with a visit to the sushi bar. So, yes, we were 'recognised', but apart from a welcoming cocktail (thank you), we didn't get the feeling that we were in any way given special treatment. And one benefit was that we had a bit of a chat with one of the co-owners. He would like us to believe that this is a 'Shoreditch restaurant', not a 'City restaurant'. Given the early-days crowd - which included such multi-various groupings as married couples, a family with a baby, and a party of gay men, as well as a few 'suits' - the early-days signs are that attracting a non-City following is a less outrageous idea than the temple-of-Mammon setting might suggest. This is a large establishment, and all these people, in shiny 21st-century London, seem to find it quite normal to dine in an operation where you'd struggle to spend less than £60 a head, and a 'night out', with a few cocktails, could easily run to £150 a head.

(Opening is till the early hours.) Looking at the online reviews of the New York Sushisambas, it was always likely that the food at the London outpost would be a bit of a supporting attraction, and such was our initial impression here. The formula is small(ish) plates, and the trendy culinary style is Japan-meets-South-America. Each of the four dishes we tried was explained in detail by lovely staff' most of whom had such thick accents that they really needn't have bothered. Fortunate, then, that people don't read our reviews for blow-by-blow accounts of the food. Suffice it to say, our best dish was a mixed ceviche, prettily presented too. The least exciting was a South American version of the dish which in Morocco they call pastilla (and which, in Cornwall, where it's done on a larger scale, is traditionally described as a 'pasty'). Will this brave venture work out? We would guess so. Most Londoners who can afford it will probably want to go and 'get the t-shirt', and for entertaining foreign clients (in particular), the attractions for the City market are pretty obvious.

And all recent experience suggests the 'surely there can't be the money to keep this all going' argument is, for whatever reason, erroneous. This is one Sushisamba party, we suspect, which will run for a while yet.The season of al fresco is upon us once more, and though we all enjoy basking on outdoor tables on cobbled backstreets, there’s nothing quite like heading skywards for views, sunshine and a blast of fresh air. From high-rise bohemian hangouts to elegant elevated gardens, check out our picks for rooftop imbibing in London. 1. Babylon Roof Gardens  Book Babylon Roof Gardens Floating 7 floors above the streets of London, Babylon Roof Gardens is a little bubble of tranquillity in Kensington, owned by Virgin tycoon, Richard Branson. The roof’s prevailing greenery and the gentle pad of Babylon’s resident flamingos render the rat race below forgotten, and menus focus on modern European fare, complemented by a staggering cocktail list. Stretching a few floors higher than its London rooftop counterparts, the 12th floor SkyLounge boasts 360-degree views of London, so it’s one of the few spots offering every-angle views of the city.

Patio heaters and parasols mean this seasonal pop-up is primed for the hit-and-miss British summer time, and the resident DJ spins a chilled soundtrack. Classic afternoon teas are a SkyLounge staple, while juicy treats are served from the sizzling barbecue when the sun shines. 3. Aqua Kyoto  Book Aqua Kyoto Atop the former Dickens & Jones building, Japanese restaurant aqua kyoto is the sister restaurant of the much-lauded Aqua Shard. Though it’s slightly closer to the ground than its sibling, this spacious sun trap commands views over the shoppers’ bustle of Regent Street. Indoors, celebrated chefs craft supremely fresh dishes bursting with colour and natural flavours: bask out on the terrace with a platter of expertly-rolled sushi, cleansing Japanese teas and exotic cocktails. 4. Coq d’Argent Book Coq d’Argent Coq d’Argent’s lush preened lawn and manicured hedgerows are a stark contrast from the imposing angles and curves of The Shard, The Gherkin and the car-melting ‘Walkie Talkie’ building that can be spotted from this fantastic London viewpoint.

An oasis of calm above the bustle of St Paul’s, enjoy flawless French menus served from breakfast through ‘til late: meaning you can catch views of London in any light. Frank‘s (image by Time Out) Though a multi-storey car park in Peckham might seem better suited to Del Boy dealings than artisan dining, Frank’s is the seasonal pop-up that’s taken London by storm for the past few summers. Open from June through to September, Frank’s is a no-fuss tarmacked space, littered with chunky wood furniture that fills up with punters FAST (no bookings are taken at weekends). The kitchen is headed by one of Peckham’s own, who returns to his childhood postcode after stints at some of the world’s best restaurants. 6. OXO Tower Brasserie Book OXO Tower With its iconic beef stock logo an ever-present twinkle on the South Bank skyline, the OXO Tower is a London restaurant requiring no introduction. The glass-fronted dining room faces the Thames: a clean-cut cocoon for enjoying stunning panoramas, while the grassed terrace looks right down onto the South Bank.

Luscious, fruit-filled cocktails are almost a foregone requirement here, and seasonal menus offer playful twists on tradition. 7. Vista at The Trafalgar  Book Vista at The Trafalgar Being seated pretty much at eye-level with Nelson atop his column, it’s not surprising that the dramatic cityscapes seen from Vista have provided the backdrop for many a marriage proposal. This is a good one for any acoraphobics, as encircling rows of clipped hedges and curled railings ensure the area doesn’t feel too exposed, and there are no dreaded sheer-drop views. During summer 2015, Vista’s resident pop up will be the BLOOM gin company, who’ll offer distinct floral gins and cocktail masterclasses. A perfectly poised dining spot from veteran restaurant group D&D, Orrery serves delicate French-themed dishes, as well as door wedge-thick cheeses from its famous fromage trolley. You could easily be in south west France if you didn’t know you were metres above Marylebone, with this tranquil spot lined with olive trees and fragrant lavender, and sheltered by a sunshine-yellow awning.

Sushisamba (image by Conde Nast Traveller) Famed for the Great Glass Elevator-style lift taken to get to its dizzying altitude, Sushisamba spans the 38th & 39th floors of the glittering Heron Tower. Serving up an eclectic mix of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian sushi, Sushisamba’s interior is spectacular: an ethereal Magic Faraway-style tree twists upwards from the glowing island bar and arching bamboo curves across the ceiling. But, it’s the terrace that Sushisamba has become famous for: it’s one of London’s highest, and the peak of The Gherkin feels as if it’s within touching distance. The Boundary (image by Love That) Proudly showcasing a vine-covered pergola, The Boundary is one of the few rooftop bars in London that’s open for business whatever the weather. Horticulture is a big deal here, with herbs picked from the working kitchen garden, and grapes produced on those sprawling vines. Mediterranean-influenced food showcases clean, simple flavours, with guests able to enjoy views down onto the edgy east London bustle as they dine.