Having been open since 1993, North Sydney’s Rengaya was the first authentic Japanese BBQ restaurant to open in Australia, and has since been an iconic destination for meat and seafood lovers alike.

If you’ve eaten your way along Dotonbori, Osaka’s pedestrian-only thoroughfare for street food, you’ll want to reminisce at Osaka Bar with its impressive renditions of takoyaki, kushikatsu and okonomiyaki.

“So what kind of food do you like?” Yes, you’re in luck - you've got front row seats to a real live first date. And for the rest of your meal, it's impossible not to have your ears pricked for questions around work, travel, play and family; let alone keep an intelligible, flowing conversation going with your poor dining partner.

A visit to the Oiden 'bowl bar' - a Japanese self-serve restaurant where you fill up your tray with whatever takes your fancy - brings back fond memories of my favourite uni cafeteria in Copenhagen.

A hidden Elizabeth Bay restaurant where the ‘chef’s table’ experience doesn’t set you back a paycheck or involve a flaming onion volcano.

Chef O-san is constantly tinkering with his recipes to suit the Australian palate - and his collagen-rich ramen is one of the delicious products of his experimentation.

Sushi train... sushi-go-round... kaiten-zushi... whatever you like to call it, we're all familiar with the wonderful concept of sitting in front of a conveyer belt, watching plates of sushi pass before our hungry eyes, and picking off the ones that look the best before someone else down the line gets a chance.

The Chairman Group has been one of Canberra’s hospitality mainstays over the last two decades. Since opening in 1992, the iconic Chairman & Yip restaurant in Civic has been serving up refined yet honest Cantonese food, attracting a loyal following of politicians and suits along the way. In 2008, the group (headed by Josiah Li) added the Lanterne Rooms to their stable, followed by Malamay in 2012; and both restaurants have been great successes.

For the last eight years, Tokyo has been the culinary capital of the world, boasting the most number of Michelin-starred restaurants of any city worldwide. Tokyo is currently home to 160 one-star restaurants, 52 two-star restaurants, and 12 three-star restaurants - not to mention the 324 restaurants with Michelin's Bib Gourmand tag, offering "exceptional food at moderate prices".

Akiba’s opening in December 2014 was greeted with much anticipation from Canberrans. The concept, the location and the marketing (who didn’t walk past the 2m high decals spanning the whole width of its windows at some point or other?!) was a breath of fresh air and reminded us that it was worth detouring from Lonsdale Street or the Kingston Foreshore to dine in Civic once in a while.

Occupying the space that Dieci e Mezzo previously held, Akiba is neither strictly a bar nor a restaurant – more a space to hang out and have a good time (albeit where you also pay money in return for food and drinks). Its name represents the Akihabara ‘electric town’ district in Tokyo, and the fitout and atmosphere of Akiba reflects this with its neon light features and vibrant colours.