The Two Minute Review: Sushi & Go

Lisa Cope
7 minutes ago
2 min read

What’s the story with Sushi & Go?

A few weeks ago, breathy posts started appearing on social media about a new grab and go sushi spot on Montague Street. Sushi & Go only has a website for now (with limited information), but there was enough different here to colour us interested.

Most of Dublin's sushi places have nothing major to set them apart, but Sushi & Go has come in with Onigiri (stuffed Japanese rice in the shape of a triangle), and Inari (sweet, savoury, stuffed tofu pockets) - two points of difference that had us heading for Montague on a wet, soggy day. Staff confirmed it's from the same owners as Zakura, CN Dumpling and Sushida, none of which we're die hard fans of, but open mind and all that.

Is there seating?

Just seven counter seats, but this is fast food (in the best way) so people shouldn't hang around long.

They're a take away first, with all packaging single use - a bummer if you're eating in. Plastic lids were added to everything, so ask for them to be left off if you're sitting down. Want to go full eco-warrior? Bring your own container.

What should we eat?

You'll find norimaki, futomaki and special rolls at the grab and go counter, but they feel expensive at €3 per piece (online they're a bit cheaper for larger portions). Stick to the inari and onigiri for better value and more of the fun factor.

Onigiri come in chicken, salmon, tuna, prawn and veggie options, all €5. We've had these before with just a dot of filling at the top and nothing but rice within, but these are stuffed, and brilliantly seasoned. We've spent many a moment reliving the chicken curry - this is peak grab n' go snack territory.

We thought we'd find at least one dud from the five inari we tried, but whoever came up with these ingredient and flavour combos has serious kitchen skills.

Ingredients like passion fruit and linseed look like they're more for effect than taste, but every bite of these sweet savoury pockets had us bowing further down. Stupidly delicious, all of them, but our favourites were spicy tuna avocado, mango chilli chicken, and olive garden - sun-dried tomatoes, cream cheese and mixed seeds might not be de rigueur in Tokyo, but boy it tastes good.

We also grabbed some spicy cucumber and kimchi from the fridge, which were fine, but you won't be missing out if you skip them.

We tried a couple of futomaki too, the California roll and the Kyoto fish roll with deep-fried cod. You can get similar in a plethora of other sushi restaurants around town, but the taste and care here is superior to most.

Anything for a sweet tooth?

There were a couple of mochi in the fridge, and while they'll never hit the peaks of the freshly made ones, the sesame was a lovely post sushi treat.

Why should we go?

It's rare that sushi in Dublin gets us excited, but Sushi & Go have come in with something genuinely different. It's cheap, it's fast, it's open seven days a week, and the taste is off the charts.