ROKA Aldwych, 71 Aldwych, London, WC2B 4HN www.rokarestaurant.com

ROKA Aldwych has introduced a new type of hour to town. Forget happy hour, this is Kabuki Hour – a time to experience classic Japanese drama and theatre, which ROKA has taken as its inspiration.

Kabuki theatre in Japan traditionally includes extravagant masks, intricate and subtle dance choreography coupled with impactful music, accompanied by classic theatre snacks and ROKA has interpreted this theme wonderfully.

Behind a dark marble bar, in a room that is stripped back, stylish and Japanese in feel, is a screen playing videos of Japanese Kabuki, whilst people come to you with old, cinema-style trays covered in the most wonderful selection of snacks with a far east twist.

These snacks include popcorn coated in soy sauce – a combination I must admit I was hesitant about at first but, it turned out to be incredibly addictive – sweet potato crisps, spicy nori crackers, wasabi peas,’prawn crackers’ with a moreish sauce, seaweed, and marinated vegetables. The snacks, presented in such a clever and unique way, were very enjoyable to eat and, luckily for us, plentiful.

Alongside the snacks, ROKA have flown over a kakigori machine to serve alcoholic slush-puppie style drinks which have been specially created for Kabuki Hour, including yuzu and blackberry kakigori, cherry blossom and almond kakigori. These drinks are so much fun to eat – with a flavoured ice on top which you enjoy first and then a delicious drink to sip afterwards.

I very much enjoyed my visit to ROKA Aldwych. It is a fun, vibrant and unique concept and, for those who want to enjoy ROKA on a budget, a completely viable way to do, as prices start from just £7 per person including the bar snacks. Perfect for pre-Christmas catch-ups in my opinion, just make sure you arrive between 5pm-7pm, Monday-Friday.