Just steps from Akasaka station, Water Grill features a long counter that faces a bar full of ice holding the day's catch. Four kinds of oyster, including rock and Kumamoto varieties, are always on offer, and the menu boasts classic mollusk dishes like oysters Rockefeller (¥1,400), oysters casino (¥1,300) and shrimp cocktail (¥1,400). Raw oysters are served unshucked atop a bed of crushed ice accompanied by a half dozen seasonings, like lemon and cocktail sauce. This being Japan, though, the other condiments include ninniku joyu (garlic-infused soy sauce) and zasai (spicy pickles). 

Seeking something halfway between East and West, we plumped for oysters Moscow (¥1,800). Two large, raw rock oysters on the half shell arrived swimming in a mild sour cream sauce, on top of which sat salty roe caviar. Smooth and creamy, the dish was a delight. Meaty rock oysters (market price, ¥600 each) and a smaller New Zealand variety that served as a daily special (¥360 each) were next, eagerly slurped down raw with a deliciously cold Malts draft-half price (¥350) until 8pm on the day we went.

Water Grill's menu is heavy on appetizers, with over a dozen hot and cold ones matched against only three entrees. From the starters list we chose the cold crab cake (¥1,300). This arrived as a mound of crabmeat mixed with ricotta cheese, on top of which sat avocado slices, a poached egg and a pair of bagel chips. The cheese was a nice touch, adding an unexpected flavor in place of the bland mayonnaise we're used to in similar dishes, and the stringy crabmeat, like everything at Water Grill, was obviously fresh. Our lone entrée of the evening, the house gumbo (half ¥1,400, regular ¥2,800), was prepared before our eyes in a cool-looking steam kettle. A mélange of shrimp, crab, clam and okra, the dish, unfortunately, had us pining for the real New Orleans thing; the tomato sauce was overpowering and, though admirably spicy, more Italian than Cajun.

This solitary slip wasn't enough to detract from a wonderful meal, though. Water Grill accomplishes its mission of delighting oyster aficionados. All others had better stay away.