On the quieter end of Ponsonby Rd, Azabu has a somewhat inconspicuous entrance, washed in dark blue and with a small, scrawled name to the left of the door. It doesn’t quite prepare you for the busyness of it all once you cross the threshold to a room that’s full of diners who come back again and again for colourful, bright Nikkei food that’s ideal for sharing.
Nikkei is a fusion of Japanese-Peruvian flavours, a cuisine born out of the significant Japanese migration to Peru. Read the menu and you’ll see what we mean: tuna sashimi with jalapeño and corn; grilled octopus with yuzu soy and aji amarillo mash (aji amarillo is a yellow Peruvian pepper and shows up in a few of the other dishes); kingfish ceviche with pickled daikon.
The service is also a highlight, helpful and attentive despite the crowds they have to contend with. Since the food offering is vast, it’s good to know the front-of-house has your back and will steer you away from combinations that may not work. And if you’re wanting to keep the party going, you could finish the night at Roji Bar out back, or skip along to any one of the other places in this hospitality hotspot.