When you think Scandinavian style, you think functional, minimalist, light-filled spaces, and cozy comfort. And that’s certainly the feel you get when you walk through the doors of Glasgow’s latest hot spot Sticks’n’Sushi on George Square.
Dim lighting, warm wooden surfaces and textured finishes feature throughout, while an open kitchen hums with energy.
Founded in Copenhagen in 1994 by half-Danish, half-Japanese brothers Jens and Kim Rahbek and their brother-in-law Thor Andersen, SticksʹnʹSushi has grown into one of Denmark’s most distinctive dining exports, with restaurants in Copenhagen, Berlin, Oxford, Cambridge and London.
It brings together the best of Danish and Japanese culture by blending sushi with grilled sticks.
The restaurant has a high end, glossy feel but it’s actually pretty relaxed, with large groups of friends and families all dining together.
But the minimal Scandi aesthetic is brought to a halt when we are presented with the menu – a seemingly never ending tome which brings an overwhelming start to the meal.
It’s pretty hard to decipher and eventually we enlist the help of our waitress to help us figure out where to start.
The menu is designed for sharing and caters to all tastes, from sushi and sashimi to grilled dishes and plant-based options.
Starters and sides include Scottish soy-cured salmon, wagyu tartare, and mushroom croquettes, while sushi highlights range from classic rolls to caviar-topped nigiri and build-your-own temaki with lobster, wagyu tartare, avocado, sushi rice and crispy nori.
We are distracted from the fuss with the dreadfully long menu by a warm towel for our hands and our chopsticks sit atop a stone, a tradition that comes from authentic Japanese restaurants.
We start with sea salt and lemon edamame and ebi bites (tempura shrimp with a miso aïoli) which are fantastic, a real highlight of the meal.
The chicken karaage is crispy and well seasoned, served with pickled red onion and wasabi Caesar, and the seared salmon nigiri is lovely.
But the sushi is really the star of the show here, and rightfully so. We opt for the house rolls, with a selection of delicious toppings and not-too-sticky rice.
The wagyu tartare and ebi shrimp with spicy gochujang topped with trout roe are my favourite, while my partner enjoys the black cod and soft shell crab. The lobster abokado and roasted pepper rolls are equally enjoyable.
Everything is perfectly prepared, with delicate flavours that pack a real punch and would impress most sushi connoisseurs I am sure.
We move onto the sticks portion of the evening starting with a phenomenal miso cured black Iberian pork, before moving onto the lamb with spring onion, yakiniku sauce, garlic butter and soya sesame. The scallops and bacon with miso herb butter are slightly too salty but nice enough.
I was tempted to skip pudding but was very glad we didn’t. The yuzu meringue tart was a slice of heaven. The shortcrust pastry was flaky and buttery, filled with the tangy yuzu curd and topped with a lovely torched meringue.
The pair of ice cream sticks were delightful – one chocolate with miso caramel, hazelnut nougatine and dark chocolate vanilla, the other a white chocolate cookie crumble.
It’s easy to see why this fusion hotspot has become so popular. Once you figure out the menu you are in for a treat, and this place scores big points from me for its tremendous Scandi atmosphere.
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