Yoisho

This place is... mad. You step off Goodge Street and walk straight into a traditional little Japanese izakaya - not really a restaurant, more a tapas bar and it's clearly a Japanese place for Japanese people.

Not that we were made to feel unwelcome or awkward. Though we were clearly not Japanese, we were invited to sit at the counter where the chef leaned over the hot grills to guide us through the menu and give us subtle tips on how to treat the place. Like a tapas bar. Looking around, it was all about having a few drinks, reading the paper, chatting to your neighbour and ordering a small dish or two then repeating the process until the bar had shut and the tube stations were closed.

I was taken in hand by an extremely polite and friendly chap in London on business who helped me pick a few things from the specials list which was a hand-written slip of paper all in Japanese. My companion was being helped by the waitress who wanted to make sure we got things we would 1) actually eat and 2) despite our adventurous nature, she didn't want us to be totally freaked out or end up ordering too much / ordering too little.

We got just the right amount and were befriended by a rather over-excitable chap who was looking after a flock of extremely good looking female colleagues. Free beers with the chef after the place had officially closed and a sense that the party was only just starting as the bins were being taken out at 1am really sealed this place as somewhere special.

It wouldn't be like this for everyone, and not every trip is going to result in a slightly disorientating "I think I'm in downtown Tokyo, how do I get home?" blurry phonecall from a bus stop in Soho but just knowing something this authentic is in London restores my faith in London's capacity to host the finest food and people.