Bar Ikigai Japanese small plates, cocktails, and a reason to linger.

Bar Ikigai

Japanese small plates, cocktails, and a reason to linger.

Latest Articles

The Sharing Menu Isn't Broken — We Just Stopped Giving It a Reason to Exist
Opinion

The Sharing Menu Isn't Broken — We Just Stopped Giving It a Reason to Exist

The UK's small-plates fatigue is real, but the problem was never sharing itself. It was thoughtless menus, vague portions and the suspicion that we were being charged more for less. A Japanese-inspired approach — fewer dishes, each with a clear job — could win us back.
The Case for a Two-Hour Tuesday: What Japan's Nomikai Gets Right About After-Work Drinking
Drinking Culture

The Case for a Two-Hour Tuesday: What Japan's Nomikai Gets Right About After-Work Drinking

The UK's after-work drinks culture is all-or-nothing: a quick pint that becomes a late night, or no pub at all. Japan's nomikai offers a better model — a set start, a set finish, food built into the drinking and a clear purpose. Here is how to borrow it for a civilised Tuesday.