Jiro Raw Bar & Grill

The buzz: Situated in the long-standing Manhattan Hotel, this new family-run sushi restaurant offers up your classic raw fish menu, with the occasional fusion touches. What does stand out is the decor, which alternates between your typical Japanese wood-based minimalism and areas that look like a kindergarten, complete with fake grass, blackboards and colorful pieces of chalk to unleash your inner child.

The décor: The playground vibe comes courtesy of bricks painted in primary colors, walls-turned-blackboards that act as canvases for customers to scribble away on, and colorful ceramic animals displayed on patches of astroturf. Other parts of the dining room are fairly classic, with bleached wood, floral wallpaper and dangling ceiling lamps.

The food: Jiro Raw Bar boasts three people working in the kitchen each with more than 10 years’ experience. The owners also promise fresh fish delivered three days a week. The food’s presentation is in line with the decor’s playground theme, which makes for some unusual presentations: colorful carved veggies, elaborate plating, and flower petals. The star is probably the Jiro Warm Breeze (B580), a kind of over-sized sushi that sees rice topped with chopped chutoro (medium fatty tuna), uni (sea urchin roe), caviar and quail egg. They also have a few signature maki that are a bit more fusion such as the Jiro Dynamite Roll (B800), stuffed with chutoro and avocado and coming with six different toppings, including uni, caviar and tobiko (flying fish roe). The preserved ginger with Chinese plum is the real deal here, too. For those who don’t do raw, hot dishes include wagyu steak (B950) and katsu don (rice with deep-fried pork cutlets, B380). Lunch sets start from B250 with a drink, but do check their Facebook page for a constant stream of specials and deals.

The drinks: Beers are Singha (B130) and Asahi (B150). The small selection of wine starts from B1,250 a bottle. But since you’re here, why not opt for the sake options like Ozeki Gold (B3,500) and Honjozo Karatamba (B730) which go great with sushi and sashimi.

The crowds: For now, mostly office workers in the area and a smattering of expats. Thamonwan Poungdee