Charcoal smoke, cold beer, and a counter that only fills up after midnight.

Akari means light — the small warm one hanging outside a doorway, telling you the kitchen is still open. We hung ours up in 2016 on a quiet stretch off Jalan Raja Chulan, and it has been switched on every night since.

Twelve seats at the counter, four tables at the back. The grill runs on binchō charcoal, the sake list is short and honest, and last order is called at a quarter past midnight — never earlier.

Come alone and sit at the counter. Come with six and take the back room. Either way, order a few sticks first and decide the rest later — that is how an izakaya works.