The dining-bar is a strange concept, one that is quite peculiar to Japan. Unlike at regular bars, food is a central part of the experience -- not just beer nuts, but real sustenance. Unlike a proper restaurant, though, you are not expected to order a whole meal from starter through to main course and dessert. Instead you just pick out a few dishes at a time, which are usually shared between the two (or more) of you.

For first-timers this seems a hybrid arrangement, neither fish nor fowl. For many locals, though, this is the preferred way to spend the evening. Dining-bars are venues for meeting, talking and dating. You are there to graze rather than to dine in depth.

In appearance and layout, La So is typical of the genre. From the street you glimpse a stylish dining room with plush furnishings, subtle lighting and an aura of exclusivity. Slide open the door -- a massive slice of timber set into a glass surround -- and you will find yourself ushered either to the counter, where you ease yourself into comfortable chairs with upholstered arm-rests and generous elbow room; or to one of the alcoves, each of which has a table large enough for four and is partitioned into spaces of semiprivacy.