Sticks 'n Sushi - Covent Garden, London

Sticks 'n Sushi crossed the North Sea from Denmark to Wimbledon in 2012, and while the Japanese dining concept was met with enthusiasm by critics and locals alike, its far west location may have been just a bit too far west for some of London's more central-centric. Alas, that issue is now resolved with London's second Sticks 'n Sushi, nestled on Covent Garden's Maiden Lane.

The restaurant has been outfitted with a classy warehouse chic design replete with natural woods and brass light fixtures. There's a backlit, seagrass-hued bar serving up delicious libations such as the Dragon Heart - a creamy concoction of soy, avocado, honey, sake and Japanese shochu. The menu, as you can probably tell from the resto's name, is divided between sushi and yakitori (sticks). Any diners unfamiliar with the cuisine can rest easy as the menu is laid out with high-resolution photography of each dish. These include some amazing options, like the hotate kataifi bites, crispy scallops served with miso aioli; as well as ebi bites - tempura shrimp with coriander, chilli, miso aioli and fresh lime. Of the sushi, our favourite choices were the Hell's Kitchen Roll - tempura shrimp rolled maki style with rice, avocado and tuna; and the Ebi Panko Roll. For the sticks, we opted for scallop yakitori, which came wrapped in bacon; and salmon teriyaki with grilled king oyster mushroom, both of which were delicious. Perhaps the most appetising aspect of the meal was the price, which for Japanese in the West End is quite reasonable.