Sticks'n'Sushi — Restaurant in London

SERVED RAW CHICKEN and RUDE STAFF MEMBER!

I usually absolutely love this restaurant – it was one of my favorites and I go there quite often. The food is always lovely, and most of it was again last night... apart from the completely raw chicken karaage we were served.

As soon as I picked up a piece, I noticed it felt squidgy – but I didn’t think much of it as I trusted the standards of this restaurant and I ate it with sauce which was all I could taste, so I didn’t expect any issues. After eating 2 pieces, my friend then took a bite and immediately said it didn’t seem cooked. When we checked, we could see that every piece was totally pink throughout, jelly-like in texture, and visibly raw.

We complained to our waiter, who was shocked. He was genuinely apologetic and I appreciate that it obviously wasn’t his fault.

Because we were so concerned about what we had just eaten, we made ourselves sick (not sure if this is the right thing to do) but we were panicking about raw chicken being in our system.

No chef came out to apologise or explain – only the poor waiter. Eventually, the manager came over and said he would discount our bill. However, all he removed was the service charge and the chicken itself. The manager seemed somewhat understanding but not very apologetic, however did eventually offer to clear the bill.

But then another member of staff (I believe her name was Kay) came over, and this was honestly the worst part of the whole experience. She abruptly told us the chicken is delivered to them “pre-cooked”** and insisted, “I promise you 120% that chicken was not raw.” She basically explained that she didn't see it for herself, but her team said 'the customers thought it was raw' and didn't confirm that it was. I showed her the photo, but she spoke down to us as if we were clueless – saying things like “of course it’s cooked” and “you don’t know how food poisoning works.” When we tried to respond, she raised her voice and snapped, “Let me speak, do not speak over me.” When we said we wasn't happy to pay, she said "just leave" in the rudest tone.

**A direct quote from their website: "So for those less keen on fish, there is a selection of chicken, pork, beef and vegetable skewers – all grilled fresh to order" - to me, this is a little deceiving consider the staff confirmed it isn't actually cooked fresh.

It was incredibly rude, dismissive, and unprofessional – especially considering the seriousness of what had happened. The waiter was lovely, the manager wasn't terrible, but Kay completely ruined any chance of us walking away feeling heard or respected.

I wish I didn't let the waiter take the chicken away, because if the chicken was in front of Kay, I am '120%' sure that she would NOT have eaten it!!! And from her rude attitude, I'm very sure if she was served this in a restaurant, she would have kicked off a lot more than my friend and I did. I wouldn't even have left this review if it...

A nice if pricey sushi restaurant near Covent Garden.

Craving Sushi on a cold Thursday afternoon, I searched on Google maps and found Sticks'n'Sushi not far away. Despite it being quite a busy-looking lunchtime and not booking, the staff quickly found a little table for me. There are a variety of tables sizes and shapes, and it seems possible if you are a small group you might be seated on a larger table with others.

The menu is an attractive "photo album" of the different dishes, which does a good job of showing you what you will get, although some extra descriptive text might have been useful. While I was browsing I ordered a miso soup and a large beer - the miso turned out tasty if a little bit too salty for me, the beer arrived quickly and was cold and refreshing.

After a brief discussion with the helpful and attentive waiter I decided to order the sashimi platter (rather bizarrely called "Sushi's sister") - £38. It was hard to tell from the picture how big it would be, but it had a lovely selection of fish, and when it arrived it was delicious. All the fish tasted good and the seasonings were well matched. I have had nicer sashimi, but not often in the UK.

Since the sashimi portion wasn't as big as I'd expected (or maybe I was just feeling greedy), I also ordered a rainbow roll - £14.50. Again, this was well made and tasty, and filled up any holes left after the sashimi.

I was too full to try a dessert, but the selection looked better than your average sushi restaurant, and they offer trios and full tasting menus for those who love the sweeter part of the meal.

Throughout my lunch the staff were attentive and polite. There is apparently a Danish theme to the restaurant, but it wasn't evident in the food, which seemed to be typically Westernised sushi. I'm therefore left a bit mystified by the Denmark connection - was evident in the furniture, and the slogans on the staff T-shirts, but that seemed to be it.

The toilets are downstairs (where there is additional seating) - they were clean and pleasant.

In the end I spent £80 on the soup, two beers and the two (large) dishes, which also included the service charge. This is possibly a little bit pricey for lunch, but I can easily spend that much in other sushi restaurants, so maybe not excessively so.

Overall excellent food, good service, and a nice atmosphere - I'd happily...

If you love sushi as much as I do then this is the place for you. Sushi which is coeliac friendly can sometimes be hard to find so this one is a total gem.

I had the chance try out Sticks n Sushi in Covent Garden for dinner. We hadn’t made a reservation but the staff were really helpful and accommodating and managing to squeeze us in. A waiter showed us to our table and provided us with a drinks and food menu. The restaurant itself is quite big with dark and simple decor and the menu is extensive with vibrant images displaying the dishes. As gluten free options are not clearly marked on the menu I asked which options were suitable. Our waiter explained that his manager would be over to run through their options in a moment.

The manager, Aris was very helpful and very well informed. He ran through the options which are available including maki rolls, sashimi, ceviche and certain skewers. While they have amazing platters he recommended against them as they tend to be mixed with non gluten friendly dishes.

We went for a mix of a sashimi, edamane beans, maki rolls, skewers and ceviche between us and they gave us some tamari (gluten free soy sauce) in a separate ramikin. The dishes came down at different times which worked perfectly. Personally I loved the scallop ceviche. I’d never eaten it before, however it as recommended as a favourite by Aris and it was the perfect blend of tangy and sweet. Everything was insanely fresh and the flavours were perfect.

For dessert we chose vanilla ice cream with creme brulee which was the perfect combination and finish to the meal.

Definitely a favourite for sushi so far and very well informed. I’ve had sushi in other restaurants where you’re quite limited to basic rolls or sashimi, however Sticks n Sushi had numerous options and we’re able to make some changes where necessary so it was just as enjoyable gluten free.

The staff were super attentive throughout and Aris and his brother, who was also serving could not have been more accommodating. Highly recommend...