After the success of their first UK restaurant in Wimbledon, they’ve opened another Sticks n Sushi in Covent Garden. It originates from Denmark (where they have quite a few in Copenhagen) and if all goes well, I imagine that’s the plan for over here. As it recently opened, I was kindly invited down to try it out.
It was a deceptively large space; the restaurant had two entrances on different streets. The ground floor dining room felt sexy; it was dark and industrial with exposed brick walls. The one-armed armchairs were really comfy too. Downstairs in the basement there was a brighter sushi bar overlooking the narrow, busy kitchen.
The menu was vast and a little overwhelming to be honest as I didn’t know where to start; it all sounded – and looked – delicious. Each item displayed a photo so you knew exactly what you were ordering – an idea which I love.
Whilst perusing we ordered some ebi bites (£6.80) which were tempura shrimp topped with chili, coriander, pepper, miso aioli and fresh lime. The batter was similar to Rice Krispies and remained impressively crisp and oil free. They were positively delicious.
The “duck, salmon and their friends” sushi platter (£18) looked beautiful. The salmon nigiris were great; the fish tasted fresh and of high quality. The sticky rice paper rolls filled with duck and served with goma dressing were my favourite – the flavour was spot on.
The only thing we weren’t enamoured with was the yakiniku steak (£16.50). It tasted good but the steak was tough and difficult to chew, which was surprising as it was cooked perfectly medium rare. It was also a touch gristly. The accompanying kimchi which was particularly pungent, was heavenly.
Next we up we chose from the extensive list of skewers (or sticks) which all arrived on one big plate. The lamb chops topped with a herb butter (£7.80 for two pieces) were divine and cooked perfectly; soft meat and crisp fat. I could have done with them taking the bone out though as I nearly lost a tooth!
Duck hearts in teriyaki (£2.80) were moist and tender; far from dry. The goats cheese with dried ham (£3.80) was a lovely combination what with the tangy cheese and salty, slightly greasy ham. Panko breaded pork with wasabi Caesar dressing (£3.50) had a crisp exterior and succulent pork inside. The scallops with bacon and herb butter (£4.70) were also cracking – we loved all of them.
For dessert we went for the four tasters (£8) which featured mini pots of white chocolate with sweet miso & popped rice, vanilla creme brûlée, chocolate fondant and green tea ice cream. The warm gooey fondant was definitely our favourite but all four were brilliant and the perfect end to our meal.
There was nothing not to like about Sticks n Sushi – the food was delicious and our waiter was as friendly as it gets. He also knew everything there was to know about the mahoosive menu – which was highly impressive. It would be easy I imagine to rack up a rather large bill as it quickly all adds up but if you’ve got the urge for a bit of sushi then I’d highly recommend it. The food was utterly divine.
8/10
