Sushi Shop – Eating Great Sushi From London to Paris

Five years ago I bought myself a sushi kit. You see I had this plan. First learn how to make good sushi at home, then host fab sushi making evenings where I would use my awesome skills to impress guests. Two weeks, various not so awesome tries and one very concerned looking Freddy later, I packed said kit away and settled for ordering sushi when I went out.

Fast forward a few weeks ago when Sushi Shop invited me to a sushi making masterclass in their just opened Marylebone venue. I admit I had never heard about them before but after looking thought their website, looking at their extensive and creative menu (caramelised teriyaki salmon sushi anyone) and their beautifully presented products, I was very intrigued and happily popped along to the class.

Two things came out of the class. First – I had no idea good sushi was so difficult to make. These guys you see, cutting things up and rolling things out are very skilled chefs. I will admit that my rolling skills were not the best but my enthusiastic efforts and my even more enthusiastic eating more than made up for it.

And second – the recipes are very very good. Seriously good. So, after I had eaten all that I could possibly get into me, I took the rest home. To get the proper, critical review of my efforts from Freddy. His words ‘normally when I eat sushi I have to douse it in wasabi and soy sauce for it to taste good. This one was perfect just as it came’.
It did not end there. I was then asked if I wanted to pop along to Paris for a daytrip to find out more about Sushi Shop and well eat even more sushi. Erm, yes please.

So our lovely PR Francesca, three other foodies and I went on a Parisian Sushi Shop tour visiting a few venues, seeing the chefs at work and meeting some of the staff. Then we got to try some of their newly launched London box sushi. I don’t want to rave too much here so all I will say is this – tuna apple rolls and the spicy seaweed salad – best thing ever.

We then got to meet the French CEO of the company – You could feel his passion and enthusiasm as he talked us through the 17 years it has taken to build this company from his first shop in Paris to now, with over 100 restaurants. He has been able to grow by always concentrating on the quality of the sushi his team produce, while making sure it is still affordable. So, he’s collaborated with top chefs to get the right recipes, makes sure that all ingredients are as local and fresh as possible, and is obsessed by the freshness of the sushi – so much so that he won’t allow his shops to deliver takeaways further than 1 mile from the shop – to maintain freshness.

As we took the train back to London, full of sushi and I contemplated how much I had now fallen in love with sushi. If I have one complain it is this. They have now spoilt me for eating sushi as now I only want the best. This means I will have to regularly pop into their South Kensington or Marylebone branch to get some. Luckily they are going to be expanding with 2 new branches in the UK next year, so more spots for me to check out.

Folks please do pop into a Sushi Shop near you. And if you are in London then you definitely want to try their brand new London box. You will not regret it.

Thanks to Sushi Shop for inviting me to their masterclass and for whisking me away to Paris to learn more about them and for letting me use some of their images. I was not not asked to write a positive reviews an AKA all sushi love is my own.