Kumo Izakaya

With one of the best sake lists in town, Kumo Izakaya is an ideal - and stylish - place to pulverise the misconceptions that sake is about the warm, insipid stuff that once ruled the waves. The lengthy list may be initially daunting but helpful tasting notes and informed service will have you discovering the clean floral or dry crisp goodness of the right stuff. Signature cocktails use flavoured shochu to great effect - they're best drunk at the timber bar with its reading room-like lamps. And an outstanding beer list includes much of the output of the Hitachino and Baird labels. Good Japanese tavern-style snacks of the gyoza kind abound.