Ribon

The waitresses are dressed in traditional garb, there’s Tokyo ‘J-pop’ on the stereo, & handwritten specials such as grilled ox tongue supplement the menu – so you know that Ribon is the real oriental deal. Legions of Japanese businessmen are ensconced here late into the evening, eating sushi & sashimi, knocking back saké or diligently working their way through the phone book-sized selection of karaoke classics in the private rooms downstairs. The decor might be shabby, but you come here for the food, including grilled salted salmon belly, light-as-a-feather prawn tempura or hotpots packed with wafer-thin pork leg in fiery broth. Depending on the weather, round off with a shot of hot, cold or frozen saké.