Otsuka Dansu

For a drink accompanied by warming dishes steeped in a generous dashi broth, Otsuka Dansu offers a tempting range of choices. Its signature oden includes familiar favourites such as daikon, egg, chikuwa fish cake and beef tendon skewers, alongside more unusual options like foie gras daikon, oyster oden and Camembert cheese. Some dishes put the gentle broth centre stage, including a whole tomato cooked in dashi and an omelette served in a dashi bath. They make for a comforting start to the evening.

There is plenty beyond oden, too, with a broad choice of fresh fish and small plates. Raw oysters and assorted sashimi sit alongside nori rolls filled with sea urchin and tuna or fatty tuna and pickled daikon, as well as seared shime-saba mackerel served with condiments. Fried and hot dishes include thick-cut Unzen ham katsu, prawns wrapped in wafer pastry and squid stir-fried in its liver sauce. The variety suits a table sharing several small plates as the drinks go around.

Drinks include refreshing sansho pepper highballs, house-made lemon sours and Shizuoka green tea highballs brewed with cold water, as well as whiskies such as Hakushu and Yamazaki, shochu and wine. The casual interior has counter and box seating, with an easygoing atmosphere for anything from a solo drink to a group gathering. The restaurant stays open late and accepts reservations, PayPay and credit cards, making it an easy place to drop into depending on the mood.