Forget cosy. Nomidokoro Indigo is so intimately spaced you’ll be friends with diners either side of you before your second drink. The 11-seat counter is straight out of Tokyo, the narrow room a bustle of warm smiles, handwritten menus and sake-friendly snacks including miso-marinated cream cheese.

Kick off with small, seasonal obanzai dishes such as miso eggplant or soy-marinated eggs, and ask staff about the sake list – presented on giant bottles and organised from light to aromatic to rich. (Or go wild and try the surprisingly incredible Amakute Oishii Tomato, a tomato-sake liqueur.)

Iburigakko, made with dried, pickled daikon that’s all smoke and crunch, is a must, while other favourites include sake-steamed baby clams in a drinkable broth, tamago that presents as a pillowy omelette doused in dashi, and breaded fried horse mackerel.

Plates come thick and fast and diners order multiple rounds. If you don’t fancy waiting, book the curtained-off nook or an outdoor table.

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