Our mental image of the typical kushiage joint usually involves old-fashioned wooden counters, multiple rounds of beer and a smoky, after-work izakaya vibe, so our first visit to this stylish little shop was a pleasant surprise. The feeling here is hip and contemporary, with smartly dressed young staff and music we might actually listen to at home - mostly R&B and jazz. The decor is engagingly exotic, with Indian-looking relief carvings and latticework, terra-cotta colored walls, dark-gray concrete floors and accents of bamboo and rattan. Best of all, the food is excellent, with a well-chosen drinks list to match.

Since kushiage is simply skewers of seafood, meat and vegetables that have been breaded and deep-fried, the basic quality of the ingredients is essential. This is one area where this oddly named shop (it's pronounced "ah") stands out. Next to the dining room is a separate sushi bar, so sushi-quality fish and shellfish are the norm here. Some of our favorite items were the plump shrimp wrapped in shiso leaf; kisu (sillago fish); prawns; and wonderfully juicy kaibashira (scallop valves) that delivered a burst of flavorful hot liquid when we bit through the crisp shell of breading around them.

The menu offers several set meals - different numbers of skewers with or without sushi. We opted for the recommended "omakase course," in which they serve you skewer after skewer of whatever is good that day until you tell them to stop. We also notified them when we were within four or five skewers of being full, in case they were saving the best for last. The surprise element adds some fun, and memorable bites included a big, crunchy spear of asparagus; curry-flavored lotus root; dark-meat chicken; duck; and okra stuffed with cheese. Our final item was camembert cheese wrapped in bacon - a bit over the top but very tasty, and certainly worth the extra twenty minutes we spent at the gym the next day.

While beer is always a safe bet with kushiage, it's nice to have other options. Umeshu (plum liquor) is one drink that can stand up to deep-fried foods, and the drinks list offers several varieties, including a potent one made with rum-like brown-sugar shochu. There are also several sake choices from the bolder end of the flavor spectrum, and we were happy with the rather funky Yamahai from Tedorigawa (Ishikawa Prefecture) that we tried. There's even wine, by the glass or half-bottle, and of course premium shochu of every sort.

Set menus start at Y2000 for ten skewers, and an 18-skewer adventure with a few drinks might set you back around Y5200 per person. The best seating is of course at the counter, where you can watch the chefs at work, but there are also several tables if you're so inclined.

by Robb Satterwhite