No-frills Japanese home cooking within walking distance of the British Museum is just the ticket â€" especially if you’re weary after delving into the mysteries of the Land of the Rising Sun.

Abeno puts on no airs or graces: sit with other punters round the counter or keep a low profile by parking yourself on the bench. As a café it has one big ace up its sleeve: it’s the only place of its kind in the capital to specialise in ‘okonomiyaki’. This is a speciality of the Osaka region, half pancake, half omelette with a variety of added ingredients cooked on a hot plate at your table. Choose your filling â€" anything from salmon, squid and prawns to spinach and cheese â€" watch the waitress beat the dough, fold the mixture and then sprinkle it with bonito flakes, dried seaweed and slivers of pink pickled ginger. She may even dress it up with twirls of mayonnaise and a dollop of chilli sauce.

The rest of the lengthy menu is a varied mix, ranging from omsoba (essentially soba noodles wrapped in an omelette) to duck teriyaki plus a few desserts including the ubiquitous green tea ice cream and red bean pancakes. Drink Kirin beer straight from the fridge, saké or tea.

Abeno’s diminutive younger brother (Abeno Too) is in Great Newport Street, Covent Garden.

Abeno is also featured in: Hardens

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Japanese

Lunch: 12.00 through until
Dinner: 10.00pm

Visa, Master Card, American Express

• Private parties

Nearest tube station: Holborn