Icco means “one house” in Japanese, which is exactly the kind of vibe Sake Bar Icco emulates. Call ahead, as considerate friends do, and a handwritten place card with your name, nestled in an origami swan, will be waiting for you at the table. The owners have been doing this since they opened in late 2015, and it’s lovely and endearing, an act which makes you want to come back again, even before tasting the food.

A small blackboard (which moves around the space depending on who’s ordering next) tells you what kind of fish will feature in the sashimi that day, along with any daily specials (like a delicious plate of karaage snapper collars in a curry sauce, for example). On the permanent menu, we always encourage an order of agedashi shiki tofu, a mouthful of silky-smoothness, but a little crunchy, bathed in light dashi. Like many things at Icco, this dish is deceptively simple, but skilfully done. Speaking of which, you’ll also want an assorted sashimi platter, or the chef’s selection of nigiri, or both.

Co-owner Junko Matsumoto, who runs Icco with her partner, Ikko Yamauchi (seen in the kitchen), is usually on the floor, anticipating exactly when you should be receiving your next dish with almost militant precision. Icco is a great example of an unpretentious neighbourhood joint that does everything they set out to do and more.