Yakitori you can bank on

New Zealand lamb chop [Photo provided to Shanghai Star]

Except for the lunch sets, which come with rice, salad, steamed egg and miso soup, dishes are 15 to 20 percent more expensive than elsewhere in the city. This is due to Banker’s location and its range of imported products, including salmon and sashimi from Nagasaki, lamb chops from New Zealand, and prime beef from overseas.

Watching your food flame-grilled from the curved bar is part of the fun, even if it pales in comparison to those teppanyaki fire shows. But at least you don’t have to risk pariah status in the office afterwards as the charcoal and smoke fumes get vacuum-sucked away behind a protective plastic screen.

"We provide a more comfortable environment than other yakitori places," says Robin Luo, Banker’s English-speaking and hugely personable manager. "The air isn’t smoky or smelly, the lighting is soft, and most importantly, people leave here with a good story, whether it be nice memories with their friends or having met a girl."

Luo, who eschews the waiting staff’s bandanas for a suit and tie, is part of the reason why so many customers become regulars: The Guangzhou native is welcoming and chatty without being intrusive.

"I put friendship first and business second," he says.

Banker has a mezzanine for group bookings, two flat-screen TVs, and a pull-down screen above its sliding front doors. This, combined with its generous drinks menu, made it a neighborhood hot spot during last year’s Brazilian World Cup.

It offers Asahi, Kirin and Tsingtao beer, and neat cocktails like Shochu with either grape juice or Olong tea (30 yuan).