Goenkyu

At ご縁球 in Higashi-Tateishi, a natural place to start is with the ご縁球 Highball, named for the izakaya. It has a full-bodied taste, and regulars have been seen specifying whether they want ice and how much—an easy drink to enjoy while looking over the menu.

The grilled items here arrive plated, with the meat taken off the skewers in advance. Easy to share and keep picking at, they include kashira, dango and chicken, with a choice of salt, tare sauce or spicy tare. The spicy tare is particularly rich, its sweet-and-spicy depth inviting another sip and complementing the tightly packed flavour of the meat. Other plates make the most of each cut, including Tan-Hatsu Maze, seasoned with an original salt blend, and Teppō, grilled until fragrant with spicy tare.

A signature alongside the grilled items is motsu stew: the offal is simmered until tender, and the mellow, lightly salted broth leaves a strong impression. When ordering, you can choose to have it with just the offal or with tofu. Small plates such as salted rakkyo, pickles and lean pork sashimi make good pauses between the grilled dishes; it is also part of the appeal to add an à la carte dish or two from the day's handwritten board as the mood takes you.

The izakaya opens at 3:30 pm. The setting suits settling in alone at the counter with a drink, as well as sharing small plates and ordering another round with someone you feel at ease with.