Completely concealed from the street, Big in Japan always amazes first-timers. There you are walking along bustling St-Laurent, you find the unmarked door (looking for its small window) by the address, walk down a rather unpromising corridor and emerge into a room lit with a thousand candles (or so it seems). Everything is Japanese-inspired – cocktails, whiskey, beer and bar food.
The elegant, but ethereal beauty seems to come through in the cocktails as well. Well-dressed, if standoffish bartenders mix pricey but painstakingly prepared Manhattans, old fashioneds and dry martinis. It's a great date place.