BASINGSTOKE shoppers can now sit down to enjoy freshly-made sushi.

The Sushi Maki has opened its doors in Festival Place, adjacent to Gourmet Burger Kitchen and formerly where Whittard of Chelsea was based.

The venue has opened with a capacity of 48 people.

The Sushi Maki already has an outlet in Newbury, which caters for 24 people and has been open for around three years, and specialises in, naturally, Japanese food.

Maria Frade, restaurant manager, previously told the Gazette: "We are all about fresh and flavoursome Japanese food and sushi is at the heart of what we do. We have a wide range of dishes designed and created by our chefs. We take great pride in the food and service we provide.

"Both Newbury and Basingstoke are fairly small restaurants with 24 and 48 people capacity respectively - the idea behind this is having a cosy atmosphere where customers get to interact with each other and the staff.

"In the past three years, we have not stopped discovering, exploring and innovating and we are excited to finally bring a sushi place to Basingstoke as well.

"All of our food is prepared right in front of the customers in our open kitchens by our chefs. The freshness, the high quality of the food and the relaxed atmosphere has made The Sushi Maki one of Newbury’s busiest restaurants and today we are aiming and working hard to bring the exact same thing to Basingstoke.”