If you’ve never been to or heard of Sticks ‘n’ Sushi, you must be living under a rock.

It’s classy, feels a little fancy and is the perfect place to go for a treat or celebration. You’re pretty much guaranteed to have a great experience, especially if with a group. I was very kindly invited to go along to Oxford’s branch, situated at the top of Westgate shopping centre, to try out some of their summer specials as well as their classic menu.

For drinks we got the Suika cooler cocktail from the summer specials menu (Haku Japanese vodka, with Aperol, watermelon, citrus and pink grapefruit soda- summer personified) and a glass of house white. The cocktail was unbelievably refreshing and was a surprisingly good accompaniment to the first few dishes that arrived. Our waiter was very knowledgable about both the food and drinks menu, with lots of personal faves recommended.

We opted for the ‘Perfect Day’ platter (£79 for two) which includes a variety of nigiri and maaki sushi, pork, salmon and chicken sticks, edamame and some other small bites. It was all DELICIOUS.

The sushi was fresh, the flavours were as vibrant as the colours they came in and all the accompanying sauces had been so well thought out. (We didn’t let the waiter take the sauces away, genuinely considered drinking some of them when the food to dip in ran out…)

We also ordered the Hiramasa Aka from the Summer specials and it was absolutely the star of the show. Beetroot-cured Yellowtail Kingfish on a bed of tangy miso mustard and wasabi – an explosion of flavours in your mouth and I want it again already.

Now yes, Sticks ‘n’ Sushi is definitely not on the cheap spectrum of eating out, but I’ve got to say, the amount of food we got was pretty decent. I was undoing my trouser buttons due to being so full when the sticks arrived at the end, but of course made room (rude not to.) The secret to not spending too much at Sticks ‘n’ Sushi is definitely getting a sharing platter with a group of pals.

As always, we didn’t have room for dessert but we got it anyway. They have a very cute selection of mini desserts and we went for the Matcha Financier (£3.50) which was filled with hot dark chocolate and was actually the perfect end to the meal due to its small size.

Overall, I’d highly recommend Sticks ‘n’ Sushi for that special celebration meal, or if you’re just feeling a little fancy. The Summer specials are available until the end of July, so get booking quick!

Sticks ‘n’ Sushi
311, The Westgate, Castle St, Oxford OX1 1NZ
sticksnsushi.com