Ma Maison

It’s odd how well the Japanese can turn out Western standards – pasta, stews and cakes among them. Ma Maison – all timber panelling and faux Tiffany table lamps – is a bona fide hit among the restaurants crowding The Central. The garlic bread is a thick slab of crisp baguette with just the right amount of butter and garlic, while the novel-sized cut of sirloin steak is cooked exactly as ordered (an unusual occurrence in this town). A highlight is the huge mound of garlicky, buttery rice blanketed by a lava flow of perfectly prepared omelette, the entire concoction sitting on a shallow pool of intensely beefy stroganoff. Bookings are essential on weekends.