Named after his four-year-old son’s favourite Japanese cartoon, the restaurant is Kohei’s second food venture, alongside Noodle Express on the Palace Pier, which he also runs with his Spanish wife Maria.

“Pompoko is a bit different to many of the Japanese restaurants in Brighton which are doing sushi and sashimi,” says Kohei. “The food we do is more the kind of thing Japanese people eat at home – curries, soups, noodle and rice dishes. The food your mother would cook for the family. Everything is cooked from scratch – none of the curry sauces or flavours come from a packet. We make everything ourselves.”

Pompoko’s interior is simple and clean, if a little stark at this point. When I ate there last week, there was no music playing or candles glowing. But service was very friendly and efficient, and there is a pleasing authenticity to the place and the food – a subtlety and freshness of flavours which can be lacking at the more corporate Wagamama and Yo! Sushi. The Japanese bowls and plates are particularly pretty too.

While there is no alcohol licence, Kohei says diners are welcome to bring their own booze. Alternatively you can do your digestive system a favour and drink the healthy and surprisingly tasty Mugi cha Japanese tea on offer.

Pompoko, not necessarily somewhere to stay for hours, is certainly a pleasant appetiser to a night on the town.

Review by Xenia Gregoriadis

• If you are interested in restaurants in Brighton, Hove and Sussex, visit www.theargusfoodguide.co.uk