Hidden away behind House of Fraser on one of the quietest streets in central Leeds is a place that I had been wanting to visit for a long time and finally (to celebrate our two year wedding anniversary) my wife and I decided to take the plunge, finally following up our intrigue by making a reservation.

After a pre-dinner drink elsewhere which was a real disappointment (and a real wallet lightener!) we headed to Little Tokyo hoping to turn our evening around. With the outside not looking too promising, we stepped inside and I was unsure what to make of the all over the place decor that ranged from a Koi pond (including Koi) amid a few random seating areas. I started to worry that we instead of seeing a turnaround in the evening’s fortunes we would instead see the night crash and burn in a wave of mediocre food…

As someone who likes to sample an array of dishes, I was keen to order the assorted starter, which came with crisp spring rolls, deep fried fish balls (that managed to avoid being overly greasy) as well as button shaped sushi, sui mai and succulent and tangy spare ribs. With the food suddenly helping to put the previous negativity to rest, the menu, which showed dish after dish in an authentic way, as well as offering a real range of different tastes for different palates, started to look like a tricky task to pick from.

My main of a rokkotsu BBQ spare rib bento box with some dim sum on the side was washed down by a fabulous (and very out of place) chilli caipirinha that left me salivating and thinking that a return might not be the worst idea in the world given the focus on flavour that had turned this slightly bizarre restaurant into a real treat for your taste buds.