With the holidays approaching hard and fast, we could all do with a new go-to drinking spot in our repertoire. Hence, our enthusiasm when we were offered the chance to christen Azabu’s new outdoor area — the Roji Bar deck. In our fervour and with the help of a few friends, pints of chilled Asahi Black flowed from the tap, bottles of Perrier-Jouët were popped and magnums of NZ Rosé Co were proffered as we basked in the sunshine last Friday afternoon.

Accessed via Maidstone Street, the modest new deck is the perfect, tucked-away spot for a casual rendezvous with friends, if not a private gathering. Its west-facing outlook soaks up the last of the light, giving way to an equally enticing evening set-up. With Azabu’s incredible food and cocktail menu at the ready, we have our sights firmly set on this epic new situation for as long as social tendencies have the better of us.