What happens when your mum is Japanese and your dad is Danish? Sticks’n’Sushi, that’s what. The trendy eatery, founded in 1994 by brothers Jens and Kim Rahbek and Thor Andersen, combines traditional sushi and yakitori from the grill with sleek, clean decor reminiscent of a Nordic home furnishings magazine. It’s one of the most successful restaurant groups in Denmark and, with twelve outposts in London including Shoreditch and Kingston, is continuing to put its name on the map and underline it with a juicy, teriyaki-glazed skewer.

The interior at Sticks'n'Sushi is a Scandi dream. 

DesignMyNight Review Of Sticks'N'Sushi

I ventured over to Sticks'n'Sushi's recent Richmond opening with a friend to bask in all things sashimi and maki - as a fan of sushi, I was more than excited to see whether it was all soy sauce and no substance (spoiler: it wasn’t). Upon entry, I was taken aback by just how cool the space was; there was an air of contemporary luxury about it in the form of dangling pendant lights subtly illuminating the space like golden raindrops with the help of soft table lamps, an open kitchen crowned with waves of amber, and burnt orange and charcoal grey walls.

While browsing the menu, we could see the entire dining area alive and suitably busy for a Tuesday evening. We ordered a wide selection of starters to begin with, washed down by a non-alcoholic sparkling Elder Flower Infusion (£4.50 each) which left us feeling suitably refreshed, with floral notes lingering in our mouths.

I dove into delicate flakes of hiramasa as part of the hotate ceviche (£11.80) - perfectly soaked in miso, chilli and red tiger’s milk, it zapped my tongue with citrussy notes and went down very quickly. We both cupped steaming pots of miso soup (£3) to our faces as palate cleansers, before moving onto horenso no goma (£6), sliding blanched spinach in an earthy, sesame dressing down our gullets, and charred broccoli (£5.80) dipped in a spicy goma sauce.

Padron me: saucy vegetarian sticks are on the menu too at this South West outpost. 

The karaage (£10.80) was a real highlight; steaming hot, encased in a golden crumb and not too oily with just the right amount of seasoning, the chicken was used to mop up any leftover goma sauce. It only then felt right that we should finish with five perfectly rectangular strips of yellowfin tuna sashimi (£10.80) before moving on to mains.

We’d had the sushi so it was time for the sticks: an assortment of six, to be precise. I tucked into the Matr chilli (£3.20) featuring Matr fungi food (a plant-based meat alternative), chilli dip and teriyaki, shishito yaki (£3.50) which was rows of charred padron peppers drizzled in a spicy gochujang, tsume and lime sauce (a favourite), and shake teriyaki (£3.30) made up of salmon glazed in the rich, umami dressing.

I devoured these with chopsticks full of rice (£2.60) while my friend tucked into sticks pierced with Emmental wrapped in bacon, chicken meatballs and free-range pork with yuzu-miso, the first of which she attested to being a bit too cheesy, but highly enjoyable all the same.

Let the good times (and the avocado and spicy tuna) roll with plates perfect for sharing. 

To end on a high note, we set about ordering the trio of sorbets (£6 for three) made up of chocolate and Avola almonds, Alphonso mango and blackcurrants picked from Thy in Denmark, as well as a tangy and creamy sourdough ice cream (£8.50) with miso caramel, hazelnut nougatine and dark chocolate.

The sorbets were so delicious, that we ordered another set of three each after scooping up the sweet and salty pools of melted dessert with clusters of crunchy, cocoa crumbs, much to the amusement of our waiter. Then, we wandered back to the overground suitably full which isn’t always the case after visiting a sushi restaurant.

Sticks'n'Sushi: Overall

The Sticks’n’Sushi menu is incredibly diverse, offering a wide range of maki alongside dishes that aren’t so raw fish-centric. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit as I thought the restaurant design leant into a luxury experience. At the same time, the plate prices were incredibly affordable, with plenty of customisable opportunities and none of the gimmicky frills of a chain eatery trying to stand out from the crowd. This haunt does so in its own, unique way thanks to its Danish charm and Japanese flair: a combination that goes together like bread and butter or, well, sticks and sushi.

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