Izakaya Den

Most of the space behind the blackened wood bar that runs the length of Izakaya Den's basement bunker is used to prepare Japanese tavern-style food - char-grilled meat, sashimi - but the drinks are just as enticing. Sake fans will be happy with a precise list that includes exclusively imported labels, and the cocktails make clever use of umeshu, sake and shochu (the refreshing Sake Mojito, for example, mixes sake, Campari, fresh lime and mint). There are good Japanese beers, too, including more obscure brands such as Coedo and Hitachino. The wine list sticks with a mostly Victorian selection.

Everything from raw fish to deep-fried chicken is dished up behind the enormous blackened wood bar at this Melbourne take on a Japanese tavern. Don't miss the specials projected on the wall - the source of some of the Den's best stuff.