***Wood ear mushroom with fluffy eggs and onions***

The Chinese cuisine at Izakaya Yama sits at the better end of the authenticity spectrum, for the most part being home-style cooking from China’s north-east with occasional Japanese accents.

Hospitality at this popular hole-in-the-wall izakaya is at times less attentive than it could be, the pricing sometimes erratic, and meals often costlier than the premises and barebones kitchen set-up might suggest, but the quality of the cooking is invariably excellent.

Owner-chef ‘Yama-chan’ makes regular visits to his native Chinese province to source scarce or seasonal ingredients, ensuring a regularly updated dining experience.

Signature dishes include the spicy mābō dōfu, yuba and coriander salad, and what is perhaps the best fried rice to be had in Tokyo.