Fish heads, tuna belly, an incredible sake list; when it comes to authentic Japanese pub grub, Izakaya Fujiyama has it all. Stepping from the pans of Bodega to open the inner-city izakaya in 2011, chef Kenji Maenaka has brought all of the savoury, umami-strong flavours of his former kitchen and switched continents from Europe to Asia.

The sushi is good, and spans fatty Bluefin and lightly torched Hiramasa kingfish to whatever is fresh that day. But the robust side of the hand-written menu is where we must head.

Silken agedashi tofu is luxurious and fresh, and green tomato relish cuts through sticky Teriyaki beef ribs. “Kenji’s fried chicken”, the karaage with house-made Kewpie, is a beer snack from heaven. Sweet pork belly is licked with miso and tossed with earthy roasted eggplant, a comforting and nostalgic dish. The fish head is for picking over with chopsticks and to dip in ponzu – an intelligent nod to the nose-to-tail movement.

The artful hand-written menu of weekly specials is penned by Maenaka himself is easy enough to be distracted by, coupled with the upbeat tunes, the boozy-night-out vibe, and Nikka whisky cocktails to have you won over before a single plate has even hit the table.

Must eat dish: The fish head