We’ve had a few quality additions to the Japanese offering in Sydney recently, but Izakaya Fujiyama continues to raise the bar, not only on smile-inducing food but also a great night out. At the quieter end of Surry Hills, this dark dining den pumps along to ’50s rockabilly as busy staff swing their hips to each table delivering hits from the kitchen of owner and chef Kenji Maenaka.

This isn’t a sleek, serene homage to the art of sushi (although it’s very good), nor a ramen slurping house. Maenaka has instead delivered the Aussie equivalent of a Japanese Izakaya – a place to drink and eat – only here it’s more of a restaurant and the Japanese whiskey and sake list is one of the best in the country. So pull up a high chair at the communal table, or get a spot on the banquette and work your way through some of the most enthralling and downright delicious Japanese food in sin city.

Start with the gelatinous, crisp-edged agedashi tofu with okra and shiitake mushrooms, Kenji’s fried chicken (Kaarage) and a plate of the sashimi and nigiri of the day – kingfish, salmon, tuna, scampi, mackerel and swordfish are commonly featured.

Yuzu kosho adds a citrus spark to wonderfully wobbly pork belly with crackling, a giant rib of beef is slow-cooked, glazed in teriyaki master stock, then finished over coals and served with a jalepeño relish, while kingfish head also spends time on the Robata grill to deliver a charred skin and gorgeous gelatinous flesh.

Just make sure you spare some thought for the Fujiyama snickers – Kenji’s peanut butter cake with chocolate custard.

Must eat dish: Agedashi tofu with shiitake and okra