Sticks 'n Sushi King's Road - Chelsea, Chelsea

Sticks n Sushi has taken London by storm, popularising the Danish take on Japanese food to dizzying, dazzling effect. Their latest opening descends on Kings Road - following on from, well, royalty, rock gods, punks, supermodels and Sloanies. For their eighth UK venture, they've snatched a three-storey townhouse that can accommodate a cool 220 guests. It's already becoming a popular spot for locals who want to bask in the clean precision of Japanese cuisine and Danish design. 
 
On a Thursday night there was a hip Kings Road crowd in attendance, with a lot of couples kicking back with yakitori, sushi and sake. The restaurant is dimly lit to impart a seductive ambiance. Downstairs offers a more casual vibe with sofas, high tables and bookshelves, while upstairs it's more of a lighter, brighter fine dining milieu. We kicked back with a Hotaru cocktail (rum, passionfruit and citrus) and an amaretto based sour and started on the meal. 
 
The maki tasting board offers a great roundup of their best sushi. The Hell's Kitchen, Ebi Panko and ceviche roll were all quite delicious, but we were particularly enthralled by the fresh flavours of the Shake Aioli - with snow peas, avocado, miso aioli and cucumber topped with seared salmon and trout roe. Otherwise, signature dishes include the Ebi Bites with tempura shrimp, miso aioli, chili, lime and cucumber. From the sticks (tataki section), panko encrusted duck breast with a spicy wasabi dressing is a must-have, as is the chicken with tangy chilli, teriyaki and spring onion as well as the tender, melt-in-the-mouth salmon.
 
All in, Sticks n Sushi Kings Road performs as well as its predecessors, and is sure to flourish in this new, well-heeled setting.