Laphroaig Tripple Wood Nose: Surprisingly slow start, but apricots gently burning over a peat fire waft over and hang in the air. There’s a tangible briny butteriness – the smell alone tightens the arteries.
Laphroaig Tripple Wood Taste: After a moment of serenity – the calm before the storm – an unctuous grenade of medicine heavily seasoned with earthy spices detonates. There’s plenty of peat as expected, but a sodden grassiness which is impressively smooth. Burnt sugar and quality sherry rush in to lift the spirits, as you recall chewing liquorice laces while still in shorts.
Laphroaig Tripple Wood Finish: The whisky runs and runs; as the sherry breaks on the salty shoreline of the palate, the residual peat remains all evening. It all settles with a surprisingly complex balance of iodine, smoke and charred caramel. For me, there’s not quite enough sweetness to cover the sense of burning tires.
Jim Beam White Label Nose: A robust nose, with lots of Cola without being sickly sweet. It’s uncomplicated, but a green apple note is there with autumnal spice. Jim Beam’s better than the price point suggests as it doesn’t feel like a punishment.
Jim Beam White Label Taste: Maple syrup, cinnamon, leather: easily drinkable although slightly industrial. Classic corn taste – very simple – but enjoyable. Makes me want a girlfriend from Kentucky. Rather than over-think it, I’d generously pour with ginger ale and lime.
Jim Beam White Label Finish: Short, savoury finish. Works wonders alongside a cheese sandwich, with wholegrain mustard on nutty bread – it masks a mild solvent sensation and compliments the cereal notes.
Sticks N Sushi Covent Garden was a turning point. I never understood what the fuss was all about. Sushi – uniform slivers of translucent fish, wrapped up in something or other. I mean, what was there really to get excited about? I thought sushi was an overpriced excuse for a meal, something for the pretentious and anorexic. How wrong I was. Sticks ‘N’ Sushi opened my eyes to a new world of flavours and exotic ingredients, each more exciting than the last.
Once seated, I was handed the sexiest menu in existence. Although overwhelming, I leafed through this glossy erotica, dribbling over the sheer aesthetics of it all. I was interrupted by exceptionally elegant cocktails promptly arriving; the ‘Yuzu Zoo’ ethereal citrus and plum notes delightfully danced around a distinguished gin base.
Sticks N Sushi Covent Garden followed a tapas format, with small but perfectly formed plates arriving quickly and often. For those with big appetites and expensive tastes, Sticks N Sushi was potentially exorbitant. However, the lower priced options were delicious, and dishes quickly added up to become surprisingly satisfying.
The Tuna Tartare was one of Sticks N Sushi’s premium dishes, and stunning was an understatement. Dressed up like a miniature fairy tail garden, the fine muscular units of tuna hiding underneath were world class. The tartare was so graceful in its presentation and flavour combinations that I savoured every morsel like Charlie Bucket with his Wonka chocolate bar.
The Spicy Tuna Maki was another dish I’d suggest is essential eating. Miso Aioli lovingly clung to the handsome tuna, which was itself maternally embraced by perfect rice. I now predict Miso Aioli to become the hipster condiment of 2017, dethroning 2016’s Flying Goose Siracha. I loved the Masago element too – tiny orange gems, tactfully adding colour, texture and taste.
The ‘Sticks’ element of the restaurant’s name is down to dishes like the grilled sweet potato (on a stick). The dish had a clever smokiness, and its Teriyaki dressing lifted this humble ingredient to something of status. The Gypsy Rolls were carefully prepared and offered decent value for money, as I attempted to bulk out the meal without breaking the bank.
Unfortunately, the desserts at Sticks N Sushi Covent Garden were something of a non-event. Diners choose from a variety of colourful things in the shape of golf balls, none of which left an impression. My advice is to skip pudding and take another look at the excellent cocktail menu.
Currently ranked 122 of 17,720 restaurants in London, Sticks N Sushi Covent Garden earned this pedigree by offering thoughtfully prepared majestic dishes in a sophisticated, cosmopolitan environment.
Fantastic Feasts & Where To Find Them 