Ginza Kojyu adjacent — Sugita-ya

Walking into Ginza Kojyu adjacent — Sugita-ya for the first time is a small piece of theatre, and that is before any food has arrived.

The room is exactly what you want it to be: kimonoed okami at your elbow. We were seated near the back, given menus we hardly needed, and brought a small bowl of olives without being asked.

We started with bone marrow with a small salad of capers and parsley, which set the tone — generous, unfussy, and confident enough not to crowd what was coming. With it we ordered Rioja gran reserva, decanted at the table, and were glad of both.

Then the main event: wagyu sukiyaki, the dish that puts Ginza Kojyu adjacent — Sugita-ya on every short list. Cut through it and you found that deep, beefy, almost iron-tasting interior that only comes from time and dry air. The signature touch — raw egg, hot pan, hand-cut sirloin — is not a gimmick; it is the reason to come.

For sides we asked for potato gratin with a dark crust and hash browns the size of a hubcap. Both arrived hot, both arrived early, both were exactly large enough to overdo it. We overdid it.

Dessert was a wedge of chocolate cake to share, fork divided, mostly because the waiter raised an eyebrow when we hesitated. He was right to.

Some places earn their reputation. Ginza Kojyu adjacent — Sugita-ya earns it twice over.