The Blurb
Sticks’n’Sushi has been around for years, and last week I finally had the pleasure of visiting Victoria restaurant. Most people know the delicious sushi chain, it has been around for almost thirty years, first opening in Copenhagen in 1994, and now has restaurants in Copenhagen, Berlin and the UK, with plenty dotted around London. Sticks’n’Sushi prides itself on serving high-quality sushi and freshly grilled yakitori sticks with a Nordic twist, and it certainly delivered. We jumped straight in and had a tasting menu, and it was every bit as good as it looked.
The Style
Sticks’n’Sushi can take a lot of covers, with two floors and an outside area too, which spills onto the bustling Nova square – there are plenty of heaters for winter too. It’s decorated elegantly, with a touch of sophistication, taking inspiration from Danish and Japanese cultures. The walls are light grey, the sofas and chairs dark green leather, and the tables are made of golden wood. Large black arches give the room an extra edge, which I later found out are there to make the restaurant look like it was ‘carved from the side of a rock’. Mirrors and lamps highlight the nooks and crannies, and with the dim lighting, it really does feel like you’ve escaped the busy, working area of Victoria, and are taking refuge in a cave.
The Crowd
The crowd will change depending on the restaurant you visit. During the day, Victoria Sticks’n’Sushi is full of people from local offices, either having meetings or treating themselves to a fancy lunch. In the evening, it’s a mixture of everyone, from city workers to families and couples. It’s incredibly popular. On a Thursday evening we visited there wasn’t a spare table in the house, so make sure you book!
The Food
Sticks’n’Sushi has recently launched a new menu, with everything from sushi to yakitori, truffle cauliflower to ceviche. We were recommended to try one of the set menus, As Good As It Gets, which offers a chance to try a bit of everything. They range in price, but this one’s £105 for two people, and we certainly didn’t go hungry. The plates came out in a constant stream. We started with some edamame beans and (not included in the set menu) a side of the truffle cauliflower – it sounded so good – and it was – that we just had to try it. Next came a selection of small plates including scallops with miso aioli, smoked salmon tartare, seared hiramasa with yuzu miso, tuna tataki (one of my favourites), salmon tataki, hotate ceviche, and some incredibly indulgent wagyu bites. The fish was incredibly fresh, with the sashimi melting in your mouth, and the variety of zesty, salty sauces were absolutely delicious. It was beautifully presented too, in a black box, split into sections. Next, a huge sushi roll came to the table, Norwegian lobster with avocado, snow peas and shiso miso aioli. It went brilliantly with our bottle of Journey’s End Chardonnay, a lovely South African wine. And it didn’t stop there, the final dishes were tempura shrimp and two of their famous yakitori sticks, black cod and miso, and duck with a cured soy egg yolk dipping sauce. The whole menu was wonderful from start to finish, truly showcasing the best of the best. My one piece of advice? Go hungry.
In a Nutshell
I have become a bit of a restaurant snob if I’m honest, avoiding most big chains, but I am really happy to say that Sticks’n’Sushi hasn’t lost any of its unique character as it’s grown over the years. Attention to detail was impeccable, from the attentive waiters to the wonderful, explorative food.
The Sticks’n’Sushi restaurant group consists of 23 restaurants across Copenhagen, Berlin and the UK, with branches in Wimbledon, Victoria, Canary Wharf, Greenwich, Kings Road, Soho, Covent Garden, Oxford, Cambridge, and soon, White City.
www.sticksnsushi.com
victoria@sticksnsushi.com
3 Sir Milton Square
London SW1E 5EB
0203 141 8240
