Kuni's

There's a pleasant buzz at Kuni's of an evening - business types sharing sashimi, men drinking beer, and plenty of couples who look as if they've been here before. At lunchtime, the pace picks up a notch. Over 35 years in Chinatown, Kuni's has forged a reputation for delivering traditional cuisine with polite, unhurried service amid muted furnishings. Tempura prawns are plump and lightly battered; baked nasu dengaku eggplant drizzled with thick, sweet miso is beautifully soft; and two dedicated sushi chefs conjure sashimi magic at the bar. Some dishes, such as wagyu shogayaki (thin beef slices and vegetables cooked in a thick coating of sweet ginger soy) seem a little ho-hum, but a starter of kisu hone senbei is izakaya-style hot, and the finger-length whiting backbones are a salty, crunchy revelation. A traditional touch extends to desserts such as roasted sweet potato with red-bean paste, though green tea ice-cream might be a more familiar ending.