Some are new, others have long histories and this book includes detailed recipes for 60 pub food dishes. I’ve recently met some business contacts who have been in Japan and love the food and I’m always looking for something different, so I greeted the arrival of this publication with great interest.

It’s beautifully photographed by Masashi Kuma and includes some interesting items on etiquette of izakaya. It also offers detailed profiles of Japanese ingredients and spices.

Sake and other alcoholic drinks are covered as well as advice on menu ordering.

That’s possibly in the future. My initial interest was in the present and how easy would it be for me to create some of the dishes. My heart sank when the book fell open at fried chicken gizzards. Not for me, I’m afraid. I don’t relish beef intestine stew either, and that’s coming from a Scotsman who loves haggis.

Deep-fried tilefish, omelette with semi-dried sardines or sautéed small squid and celery also caught the eye for the wrong reasons. With respect, I know that Japanese people enjoy seafood but gizzards, beef small intestine or fourth stomach (tripe, beef chuck or round can act as substitutes), tilefish and squid are not up front on every High Street butchers/fishmongers counter.

They are also not top of the shopping list for most British people, even if they have the spirit of adventure in their food.

More interesting, for home consumption, was grilled chicken breast with plum paste, mashed potato salad with mayonnaise, spinach with black sesame sauce, steamed and grilled pork with salt and deep fried stuffed peppers.

Summing up, there are some interesting recipes in this book but it’s for a specialised market, I’m afraid.

Nigel Duncan