To call Chaco Bar a first-rate yakitori joint is, in some ways, to miss the point. Of course, the sensitively chargrilled chicken parts are excellent – and so too are other skewers, such as spiced lamb shoulder or pork-belly-wrapped enoki mushrooms – but owner-chef Keita Abe and his kitchen team’s wingspan stretches a lot farther.

Note the bracing freshness of the briskly seared blue mackerel sashimi. Clock the suppleness of the John dory wontons, splashed with tongue-tingling sansho pepper sauce. Revel in the richness wagyu beef fat brings to the smoky, garlicky fried rice.

Your meal may unfold at an unpredictable pace, and waitstaff sometimes overlook the finer sticking points, but the shadowy lighting and transportive izakaya trimmings keep the mood on lock. And if they don’t quite spirit you away, the smart and well-priced sake list should more than do the trick.

Good to know: The banquet menu covers plenty of ground at just $78 per head.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.