As Mona Vale winds down, this pine-clad izakaya keeps its promise as a shime-no-ramen joint, drawing on the Japanese tradition of ending the night with a final bowl after drinks.

You can slurp thick, springy Kanto-style ramen until nearly 10pm, but the bar is as much a draw as the kitchen. The Suppa Sour softens whisky’s slow burn with citrusy yuzushu, while the Café Monaka drinks like a boozy iced matcha, layered with sake and sweet red bean.

While mains can drift into muddled fusion (such as confit duck with too-salty sansho jus), Menya hits its stride in the small bites, like the choi-nomi set – a build-your-own board of four snacks from a dozen options, served in petite ceramics.

Soft, structured tamago comes topped with ginger and fish roe; nibitashi equals eggplant soaked in delicate dashi; Japanese potato salad surprises with crunchy pops of tempura batter. Choosing is hard, but the eating is easy.

Must-order dish: Choi-nomi set of four small plates, with the Japanese potato salad an essential inclusion.

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