This restaurant's feel is akin to that of an izakaya - a traditional Japanese bar - rustic, simple and cosy. Two things strike as you read the menu of the restaurant's charcoal grilled specialities: its jaw¬-dropping variety, and its novelty. In the mood to tempt fate, I went for the sweet and chewy fugu mirin boshi (grilled dried slivers of puffer fish steeped in mirin); a tender grilled beef skirt, seasoned with just salt and pepper and bursting with skirt’s natural chewy, kidney-ish richness, and some grilled pork neck – a cut rich with seams of fatty connective tissue that add flavour and keep it juicy -served with some lovely, ever¬-so-slightly-charred garlic rice. The scallops and asparagus - rolled up separately with very thinly sliced lean pork – displayed the chef’s keen eye for novel combinations that work. The quality of the ingredients has a big part to play, and I’m told the sashimi of the day here is exquisitely fresh. Dessert items are limited but the black sesame and Japanese green tea ice cream, and the tofu with coconut cream and red bean paste, whilst not traditional by any means, are inimitably Japanese and a great way to round up your meal here.

Wine: A good choice of sake, from light and fruity, to medium bodied and heavy: we like the tasting portions that are also available.