Hidden behind a curtain inside the rather unassuming Uma Uma Ramen at Forum The Shopping Mall is a door. And behind that door is a staircase. And at the bottom of that staircase is… a really rather pleasant bar that takes its cues from Japanese drinking dens (think: exclusive whiskeys, careful techniques and dark corners, courtesy of designers Asylum), but does away with the stuffiness (and the impenetrable menus) to create somewhere that for all its “exclusivity” is a reliable bet for a well-made drink far away from all the Chinatown mixology hoo-ha. It’s so easy-going, in fact, that Japanese clients from the adjacent kaiseki joint barely recognise it as one of their own; and don’t tend to stay for long. Which means more limited edition Hitachino Nest beers for the rest of us.
