I don’t think Oxford has enough sushi spots, so when I heard the rumours that Kibou was coming to town, it’s safe to say I was excited.

I absolutely adore sushi and ramen, so a place doing both (plus more!) is the dream.

Bitten were very kindly invited to try out the new spot, sitting right in the middle of Little Clarendon Street. Read on to hear my thoughts…

As you probably know, Kibou has replaced Wilding (RIP – we loved you) which are tough boots to fill, but the total revamp and new decor was a brilliant way to introduce themselves as the new kids on the block, fresh colours, fresh ambience. Walking in, it felt like one of those swanky restaurants in London that turns into an exclusive club later at night.

Classy and fun.

The staff were warm and welcoming. You could tell some were quite green, but the enthusiasm was brilliant and hope it stays like this as it makes such a difference.

It’s always hard to know what to order in places like this, as the menu caters for all moods. Feeling share-y and pick-y? A mix of sushi, platters, sharers, gyoza etc is the right call. Feeling cosy and after something warm and nourishing? Go for the curries and ramens.

This visit, we went for the share-y pick-y vibe – as we were both craving sushi, but I’m very keen to go back to try the ramen (maybe when it gets a bit cooler!)

The cocktail menu was enticing, and I went for the ‘cucumber saleswoman’ because I’m in my cucumber drinks era at the mo, and it was unbelievably refreshing. So obvs I had two.

Charlie went for a glass of the Barnabe pinot noir, which he enjoyed. He did then order the same cocktail as me though, so I think I won on the best drink choice.

Water was continuously refilled throughout the evening (including fizzy!) which is something I really appreciated. A small pot of wasabi peas was brought out with the water – very punchy, not for the faint-hearted.

We tried:

• Spider roll
• Kabocha Korokke (pumpkin croquettes)
• Oyster mushroom bao buns
• Volcano roll
• Pork gyoza
• Trio of mochi for dessert

The highlight was probably the Kabocha Korokke – the perfect level of crispiness and the rich smooth pumpkin inside was to die for. Would love to eat these again asap.

The bao bun was a perfect mix of textures, pillowy and bouncy bun, crispy and umami-overdose filling. Deeeee-lish.

The sushi was good, and presented nicely. I’d say the rolls were much larger than sushi I’m used to – more rice, which made them more filling. We had a little bit of space for something more and our waitress recommended the Volcano roll – the cult classic which consists of sushi filled with salmon, avocado and tobiko, which is then dipped in tempura and deep fried. I think our eyes were bigger than our stomach with this one as we both had one piece each and couldn’t do much more. I imagine if it’s one of the first things you try you’d delight in it, but was a little heavy for the end of the meal.

We were VERY full by the end of the meal, but shared the trio of mochi, which was actually the perfect way to end of the meal – on a refreshing and light note. The trio includes a raspberry, coconut and salted caramel mochi. We both thought the raspberry was by far the best, and would’ve loved more of just that flavour.

There was a slight wait for certain things, but to be honest it was a welcomed pause between dishes as we got full quite quickly, so a break meant we were geared up and ready for round 2.

Overall, we had a very tasty meal and I would go back to try more of the menu. It’s a swanky place, with fun music, chatty staff and a generally good vibe. It would be a very nice spot for date night, a catch up with pals, but also somewhere fun to take the fam if they’re visiting, if you’re not feeling the classic Oxford pub option.

It’s not the cheapest (some sushi selections over £20 – but it is sushi, so what do you expect!), and I’d be interested to see if they bring out a lunch menu in the future, as that could be very enticing to all the university staff that work so close (including me!)

Have you been to Kibou? Let us know what you thought in the comments!

Kibou
Little Clarendon Street, Oxford

Bitten were invited as guests, all views remain our own