Originally founded in 2013 in Wolverhampton, the ISO Sushi takeaway brand came to Sherwood (Nottingham) in June 2025. There are sites located within the Midlands and the North, all of which offer authentic Japanese flavours that celebrate the favourite culinary dishes of this culture, using the finest ingredients available. Located on a very busy main road, ISO gets a lot of passing footfall from locals and, when we visited, the orders from food delivery chains were constantly coming in
The venue has seating for about a dozen people, and although small, it doesn’t feel cramped at all. Visually, it’s bright and brash with Neon featuring heavily - pretty much as you’d get in Japan - with dramatic, black marble-effect tables. The same marble-effect carries on at the service counter and on the lower half of the walls, with the upper half being dark grey, vertical ‘slats’. Mid-back chairs are upholstered in black velvet-type fabric, so the theme is very much a modern and sleek aesthetic.
There’s a fairly wide-ranging menu – more than you would initially expect, perhaps: Small Plates, Gunkan and Nigiri, Maki and Handrolls, Sashimi, Sushi Boxes, Bao Buns, Ramen and Udon, Platters, ‘From the Wok’, Teriyaki, Salads and Poke Bowls, Burgers (not your typical Japanese offering, but very heavy on the flavours), and Desserts. ISO isn’t licensed but there’s a decent selection of soft- and alcohol-free drinks to choose from such as Pepsi (and Pepsi Max), Green Teas, Bubble Teas and Asahi alcohol-free Lager. I chose to have a bottle of Pepsi Max (£1.99), and The Man had a bottle of the non-alcoholic Asahi (£3.49).
To start, The Man Bird and I had King Prawn Tempura (£5.99) and Chicken Gyoza (£7.99), and both dishes were very nicely presented and plentiful. Each King Prawn (of which there were five) was sizeable, and covered in pale golden, crispy Tempura batter that crunched beautifully when bitten into. The seafood was soft and fragrant, with a pleasingly meaty texture to it, and the contrast between the batter and King Prawns was perfect. Accompanying the dish was a zingy dipping sauce, so I was kept busy, dunking each morsel into its coral hue.
I’d thought that my portion of King Prawns was generous, but I got eclipsed by His Nibs’ choice: he’d got no less than eight, perfectly formed little Gyoza! Each [made in-house] dumpling was a precise crescent shape with a pretty fluted edge, and it been filled with a mix of shredded vegetables and Chicken before being fried to crisp deliciousness.
For mains, we’d selected Salmon Teriyaki (£8.49) and Chicken Nasi Goreng (£9.99) and they were, again, very generous portions. My Salmon Fillet had a superbly sticky glaze on it, with Soy’s unmistakeable tang coming through clearly. At the side of the Salmon was a circle of Yakisoba noodles and vegetables and some spiralised Carrot and Cucumber for an extra injection of sharp crunch. This was a really tasty meal, packed full of tastes and textures, and I liked the garnish of Spring Onion and white- and black-sesame seeds.
His Nibs loves an Oriental stir-fry at home, so his choice of Chicken Nasi Goreng was an obvious one. There was lots of tender Chicken pieces to tuck into, partnered with Fried Egg, Rice, Carrots, Onions and Cabbage. As with my dish, there was no shortage of tastes and textures to savour, and layers of flavour burst in his mouth. Chef had taken care with the garnishes and presentation, more so than your average high-street, predominantly takeaway venue.
For dessert, both of us had opted for the Dorayaki (£3.49), one of Japan’s most iconic sweet treats. Sandwiched between two dense-but-bouncy textured Pancakes/Castella was a chilled custard and a thin layer of sweet Red Bean Paste that was almost like the jam you’d get in a Victoria Sponge Cake. The Castella was curiously springy and soft, despite its density, and was really, really yummy. If you looked at the Dorayaki side-on, you could see the similarity between it and an Arctic Roll (showing my age here!), which took me back to younger days!
This had been a lovely meal and, price-wise, you certainly get a lot for your money – which no-one is going to complain about, are they? ISO in Sherwood is open Mon-Sat 11am-11pm, and Sunday Noon-10pm to either dine-in or place an order. Call 0115 990 1071 to book a table or take-out order, and visit www.isosushi.co.uk and select the Sherwood site to order online.
Hot Wings happily given to this great Japanese, quick-serve venue; I’ll be back to try the delicious Sushi and Sashimi offerings, I’m sure.
