Nippon Bar & Kitchen

Nippon Bar & Kitchen is a polished 120-person Japanese restaurant inspired by the izakayas of Japan. But if you were expecting that dingy drinking den you stumbled upon during your last ski trip to Niseko, this probably won’t be it: a giant imitation cherry blossom tree bursts forth from the bar, and the seating is a mix of cushy booths and smaller tables wedged between comfortable armchairs.

But if you choose wisely from the menu, Perth Japanophiles have a decent chance of reliving holiday memories. The kitchen offers a mix of Japanese standards – sashimi, teriyaki chicken, gyoza – alongside deeper cuts from the country’s vast repertoire of regional specialties. The izakaya favourite of chicken-thigh yakitori, Nagoya-style grilled chicken-wing skewers (tebasaki), and grilled onigiri (rice balls wrapped in nori seaweed) are all highlights.But there’s a lot to explore, including a selection of lunch sets.

The drinks menu puts Japan’s best-known booze front and centre. There’s a good list of sake, available in full and smaller sized bottles, while the Japanese whisky selection runs from salaryman favourites to aged, hard-to-find expressions of Suntory classics Yamazaki (18 years old), Hibiki (17 years old) and Hakushu (12 years old).

All the house-pour spirits are Japanese, and Japanese spirits feature prominently in the house cocktails. There’s a healthy selection of big-name Japanese beers – Asahi, Kirin, Sapporo – on tap. And a predominantly Australian wine list has been assembled to play well with Japanese flavours.