My friend and I stumbled upon this endearing little restaurant the other night and decided to give it a go - this is our story...

It's called Uchi Lounge and as soon as we walked in we knew we had made the right choice of giving it a go. Downstairs is a bar (sake bar to be exact) with a plethora of delights on offer - their unique sake cocktails are overwhelmingly fresh and delicious. They have a wide range of wines and beers as well, and for later in the night, dessert cocktails. But don't despair - these are all available upstairs in the restaurant too.

We headed upstairs and sat along the long couch. With its earthy, wooden browns and hanging, subdued lights, you are soothed with a cool and comfortable ambience. We ordered drinks, a chilled Japanese beer and a mango and passionfruit-seed sake cocktail - they shake it and pour it infront of you, teasing you with every drop they let fall into the martini glass, until finally you can take a sip and wow, they know how to make a great cocktail.

Deciding upon our favourites (sashimi, tuna and beef) and see how they rack up against our Japanese hot-spots - they truly delivered. Their sashimi beef was melt-in-your-mouth succulent and delightfully flavoursome, while the seared tuna and its interesting sauce was perfectly composed. Oh, and the fish sashimi was on par with my faves.

Uchi Lounge prides itself in being at the forefront of modern Japanese cuisine, and for its twelve years of business (I'm just sad I never went down Brisbane St with an empty stomach sooner) it has perfected its style, taste and aesthetic. It was a wonderfully pleasant spontaneous surprise, and my friend and I have decided we'll have to surprise ourselves more regularly...only if we can get off this lounge, of course...