Uchi Lounge

With ninja-like stealth, this two-level Japanese stalwart has undergone a transformation. What was once the sake bar downstairs has been replaced with a large sultry dining room with a single concrete-slab communal table. Upstairs, the original restaurant is now more compartmentalised thanks to a rustic brick wall down the middle of the room. The ‘bar’ has been reduced to one-seater high-top table and three stools. Beware - they now have a strict no food order/no drinks policy. Lounging, it seems, is a thing of the past. The specialty here is flavoured sakés and saké based cocktails. There are 11 sakes; 11 shochus; 21 flavoured sakes; and the same cheesy cocktail list they’ve had for years. Knock back a Samurai in the Mist (blueberry sake, Cointreau and fresh lemon juice) or a Tokyo Iced Tea (sake, gin, Cointreau, shochu, fresh lemon juice and cola). Bar staff are pretty easy with the booze and everything gets a full measure including your liver. Chef and owner Takashi Ohuchi maintains the same solid menu of sushi and sashimi as well as some quirky Sosaku dishes (Italian, French or Chinese, fused with Japanese - garlic miso camembert anyone?).