Chef Peter Tempelhoff describes Stickman as “one of the most exciting brands that never quite was”. Born in 2020 as a yakitori bar, it pivoted through the pandemic into a delivery kitchen, surfaced occasionally for pop-ups, and then went quiet. Last week, it returned for its most sustained run yet, taking up residence alongside upscale sushi shop Sushiya at Cape Town’s TimeOut Market for the winter season.
The pairing makes immediate sense. Sushiya, a collaboration between Tempelhoff, culinary director Ashley Moss and Shin Takagi of the two-Michelin-starred Zeniya, has built its counter around classical Edo-style sushi, precise and restrained, using local vegetables and harbour fish. Stickman sits beside it as a natural counterpart: skewers cooked over binchotan, the dense Japanese charcoal that burns hot and clean and gives yakitori its particular char. Sushi and grilled skewers are a combination familiar to anyone who has spent time in a Tokyo izakaya. At TimeOut Market, they will share a counter.
“Yakitori is one of my favourite Japanese street foods, cooked simply over charcoal and built on high-quality produce,” says Moss. “Cooking over coals, the warmth of live fire, naturally suits the season perfectly.”
The Stickman menu runs skewers in sets of two, spanning free-range chicken across various cuts, Wagyu beef and Cape fish alongside a vegetable option, with Japanese rice bowls available to complete the meal. Sushiya’s menu continues as it is with hand rolls and inside-out rolls alongside omakase platters and sashimi. The two counters operate independently but are designed to be eaten across.
“TimeOut Market felt like the right place to bring Stickman back, and pairing it with Sushiya for the winter just made sense,” says Tempelhoff. “Sushi and yakitori sit so naturally together, and putting them side by side gives our guests the best of both.”
Sushiya x Stickman will run through the winter season at TimeOut Market.
TimeOut Market is open Sunday to Wednesday, 11am to 10pm, and Thursday to Saturday, 11am to 11pm.
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