Restaurants

Aficionados of Japanese food know that it’s the cooking, not the unassuming and rather worn decor, that counts here. The multitude of small dishes are made to be enjoyed with the sakés and shochus listed at the back of the menu. The chef’s recommendations make a good diving-in point, or there’s also a more predictable selection of izakaya-style skewered foods such as yakitori or kushiage (battered and deep-fried morsels on a stick). We went for a range of flavours, from the delicate (chazuke: tender raw sea bream on hot rice, over which hot green tea is poured) to the punchy (a whole head of garlic with miso paste, simply steamed – a real drinking-session dish, best enjoyed with shochu). Most were spot-on. A warming braised beef dish, nikujaga, had a sweet and savoury flavour and was unusual for containing konnyaku jelly along with more familiar western ingredients such as carrot and potato. Sautéd shimeji mushrooms were robustly meaty, and deep-fried oyster hot and juicy. Only a dish of slightly overcooked sardines disappointed. Aki is a humble but deservedly popular spot.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009