In the fashionable back streets of Omotesando, objets d'art always seem to overflow onto the esplanades. So the quaint street-side patio with rectangular hardwood benches, an ashtray made of woodblocks and a designer coffee table pieced together at right angles appeared as just another example of artistic expression strewn out in the open. But the unmistakable lack of rounded edges was a sure sign that we had arrived at Cube Zen, a chic, modern izakaya.

We pushed aside the glass door and peered down a narrow hallway leading to a long bar. Much like the layout of a European train carriage, the tiny corridor serviced the dining chambers that were divided into two floors, and a black-clad waiter led us to one on the platform above. We removed our shoes, like we do at any good izakaya, but we were surprised to have to almost crawl through a cramped passage to reach our table-a task our unlucky waiter had to undertake repeatedly through the course of the evening.

Comfortably seated on square cushions, we were momentarily intrigued by the soft jazz that wafted from overhead Bose speakers but quickly turned our attention to the menu-which thankfully included English explanations. First we toasted our discovery with a flute of Japanese plum wine (¥600), a Jack Daniel's on the rocks (¥600) and a shot of Kakushi-gura barley shochu (¥600). Although a curtain of twigs separated us from our neighbors, we could hear the vivacious chatter of a collegiate ensemble a few tables down as well as the murmurs of a stylish couple seated at the bar below.

Suddenly realizing that our waiter was perched beside us awaiting our orders, we quickly rattled off what we took to be the most appetizing dishes-Caesar salad made from Kyoto vegetables (¥880), spicy sirloin steak (¥1,200), fried dumplings with sweet soy paste and cream cheese (¥650) and deep-fried rolls of pork and green asparagus with plum sauce (¥780).

It was a pleasant surprise that all our orders arrived at once, allowing us to sample each with swigs of our preferred tipple. While the Caesar salad appeared plain and with fewer slivers of Parmesan cheese than we would have preferred, the spicy sirloin steak was a knockout, blending miso, the house specialty, with chives, garlic and scallions to make a decidedly Japanese-style delicacy. The fried rolls of pork and asparagus were also excellent, especially with a pinch of ocean salt. By the time we had noticed that many of the dishes were on the salty side, we had fallen into the age-old izakaya trap of replenishing ourselves with more and more fluid, getting merrier by the minute. 

The rum raisin tart with cream cheese sauce (¥680) and a steaming mug of coffee (¥450) at night's end worked miracles to bring us back to our senses long enough to extract ourselves from our table. We knew, however, that there would be nights when we would come crawling back to Cube Zen.