Hanamizuki

At this Japanese cafe, the rice balls (onigiri or omusubi in Japanese) are slightly offbeat, as if sprung from a Haruki Murakami novel. A version called the Italian looks and tastes wholly Japanese, with stray ticks of salt and vinegar, but it’s been infiltrated with salami, olives and capers. Elsewhere, there is bacon afloat in miso soup and gnocchi made with tofu and glutinous rice flour, so they have bounce and squeak under the teeth. The menu is designed mostly for snacking. This is lovely to do in the soaring room, white on all sides and lit by orbs covered in feathers, with the mantra “Take a bite on beauty” in old-timey script on the wall. — Ligaya Mishan