Way back in 1993 Abeno was on a mission to recreate an authentic okomiyaki and now it seems to have caught the fancy of Londoners. With outlets on Museum Street and Great Newport Street filled with happy eaters, it's definitely a busy place with sufficient Japanese clientele, an encouraging sign of authenticity.

Okomiyaki is a pan-fried savoury pancake packed with a filling of your choice that includes bacon and cheese; pork, squid and prawn, or seasonal mushrooms, lotus root and cheese. Yaki soba or fried noodles may be a Japanese staple and here it appears wrapped in an omelette topped with mayonnaise, okomiyaki sauce and tomato ketchup. Choose from a list of rice dishes stuffed with organic beef fillet, tangy plums and seasoned salmon. The dessert menu is certainly worth exploring with homemade green tea ice-cream, and a traditional Japanese fruit salad with sweet rice dumplings on an agar-agar base.

Round off with a geisha rock, a shot of karatamba sake with calpico and lemon juice.