Izakaya

If Pubs had continued in a straight line from Inns as places where you could eat and drink rather than drink and then grab a souvlaki, then we may have ended up with something resembling Japanese izakaya. Working on the simple principle that many small dishes are better than several big dishes and that people enjoy drinking frosty cold beer out of large mugs before trying a couple of tokkuri of sake, they have created a dining experience without equal.

Now I'm getting all rheumy-eyed with nostalgia so you'd best go and read Chika of she who eats excellent capture of it all with a typical place to eat atypical Japanese food.

Traditionalists wishing to recreate the experience at home could start with a couple of neck-ties, chopsticks, and some recipes.