Emma Danish Sushi fusion arrives in Glasgow
Located in the A-listed, former General Post Office building on George Square, Sticks’n’Sushi opened over the festive period, in what has been a troubled unit with various restaurant incarnations over the last few years (Jamie’s Italian, Doppio Malto, and Assaggini). Hopefully, they will break this jinx.
The interior is minimalist; a bit industrial with Scandi touches, so you might be thinking…Danish sushi, but why?
Brief history of Sticks’n’Sushi
Sticks’n’Sushi was founded by Jens and Kim Rahbek, two Danish-Japanese brothers. Jens had lived and worked in Japan for six years and returned to his native Denmark as a trained yakitori chef.
They opened their first Sticks’n’Sushi in Copenhagen in 1994, and their first UK site in London in 2012. You’ll find Sticks’n’Sushi not only in Copenhagen and London, but also in Berlin, Cambridge and Oxford. The name of the restaurant is quite simple as their focus is on cooked meat on skewers (yakitori-style sticks), and of course, sushi.
Menu for Sticks’n’Sushi Glasgow
The wide-ranging menu can be found here – Sticks ‘n’ Sushi Menu. They have several set meals, ideal for two or more, and we decided to go for the most extravagant of these to get a picture of the food without having to think too hard about it…
What we ate and drank at Sticks’n’Sushi
To drink, we had a sakura and lychee martini, delicate, delicious and far too easy to drink; and a light and citrusy Harbour Brewing Co Yuzu Lemon pale ale (can).
As good as it gets Set Menu – £116
£116 sounds like an awful lot of money, but it is a proper banquet, split into three courses, working out at £58 per person for a mixture of starters and mains. Not cheap, however, this menu included scallops, salmon and wagyu tartare.
The initial assortment soon arrived, comprising six warm plates, and a side of edamame – soya beans, grilled with supreme soy & sesame.
Clockwise from top:
- Tuna Tartare. Tuna, avocado, sesame, miso, yuzu and spring onion on crispy flat bread
- Shake Tataki. Salmon, sake-tamari marinated trout roe, daikon, miso, ponzu & daikon cress
- Hiramasa Kataifi. Hiramasa, kataifi, chives, shiso, truffle oil & ponzu
- Ebi Bites. Tempura shrimp, miso aïoli, chilli, lime & coriander
- Hotate Kataifi. Scallops, miso aïoli, trout roe, kataifi & shiso cress
- Kani Korokke. Crab croquettes with wasabi Caesar
Hiramasa is yellowtail amberjack, a fish we weren’t familiar with, topped with crunchy angel hair kataifi, so raw fish with umami richness and texture from the kataifi. If you are a ceviche fan then we think you will love this.
Tuna Tartare. Tuna, avocado, sesame, miso, yuzu and spring onion on crispy flat bread. Melt-in-the-mouth tuna, fresh toppings and crisp cracker-sized breads.
Shake Tataki. Salmon, sake-tamari marinated trout roe, daikon, miso, ponzu & daikon cress. Four slices of tender salmon in an umami bath.
Hotate Kataifi. Scallops, miso aïoli, trout roe, kataifi & shiso cress. Perfect canape size tender scallops with a crispy coating.
Kani Korokke. Crab croquettes with wasabi Caesar. More bite-sized goodies, golden morsels with an exquisite crab filling.
Ebi Bites. Tempura shrimp, miso aïoli, chilli, lime & coriander. Crunchy, herby and a little bit spicy.
Once we’d finished the first ‘course’, it wasn’t long before the next part of the set meal arrived…
Temaki Setto. Wagyu tartare, lobster & yuzu, kataifi, cress, soya sesame, avocado and sake-tamari marinated trout roe, with sushi rice and crispy nori just off screen. This was a DIY sushi experience, where you can make your own using the nori sheets, (very) sticky rice and the selection of ingredients provided, thus providing a bit of fun that you don’t normally get in sushi restaurants.
After we’d finished, our third lot of food arrived, which looked quite bland after what we’d just consumed.
Ebi Panko. Tempura shrimp & spicy sauce, topped with avocado, and New York Subway. Tempura shrimp, avocado & spicy sauce, topped with salmon & garlic. Lacking the presentation of the previous dishes, but these were excellent quality sushi rolls.
The last of our set meal then arrived, the sticks:
Gindara No Miso. Black cod & miso, and Hotate Bacon. Scallops & bacon with miso herb butter. Both well-grilled, tender, moist and full of Maillard flavour.
We decided to also delve into their dessert menu and shared a Matcha fondant – Dark chocolate fondant with matcha core, vanilla ice cream & matcha cookie crumble. Very dreamy with a strong matcha flavour.
There is also a cocktail bar in the basement, which has an unusual theme, in that cocktails change based on the seasons, but not the typical four seasons, rather Japanese ‘micro seasons’ of which there are 72 per year, so cocktail ingredients could change every 5 or 6 days! It’s open 4 pm – midnight Wednesday – Saturday. If you just want a beer, gin or wine before or after your meal you can.
Verdict
Really high-end, fresh and sometimes innovative sushi in a large restaurant in a central location. It’s pricey, sushi often is, but you definitely get what you pay for, and as they sell more than just sushi, it should hopefully cater to groups where you have fussy or non-sushi eaters. The sets available are quite exciting and unlike any others we know of in Glasgow so we’d say it’s a great place for groups of lovers of Japanese cuisine to get together. The As good as it gets was a proper feast, but you could just go in for a few smaller menu items.
Although it’s just opened, and a chain, it might now be the best sushi you can find in Glasgow, it really is that good, so we shall return to the restaurant for sure, and the bar!
Where
Sticks’n’Sushi, 7 George Square, Glasgow G2 1DY
Book a table at Sticks’n’Sushi Glasgow
Click here to book a table direct with Sticks ‘n’ Sushi Glasgow
