Rainer's Roka aims to wow the Wharf

Rainer, 48, hopes Wharfers with preconceptions about Japanese cuisine before will be pleasantly surprised.

He said: "I'm very excited about coming to Canary Wharf. We've been planning the move for about 18 months and we thought it was a great place to open. We hope it will appeal to both the bankers and the residents, especially as there doesn't seem to be too much Japanese food around.

"Japanese food is very healthy, there is not much butter and cream used in it. The emphasis is also on sharing, but there is a lot more to the cuisine than just sushi and shashimi."

The first Roka opened in 2001 in Charlotte Street but Canary Wharf will have something different - the robata chef's table. Rainer, who lived and worked in Japan for six years in the 1990s, is excited about the innovation.

He said: "It's next to the grill and very close to the chefs. It's semi-private and I think people will enjoy it because it will give them a very energetic feeling. They can get closer to the action and see the food being prepared.

"I am very keen to get closer relations between the chef and the customers. It's not something that often happens in restaurants and I want to break down some of those traditional barriers."

Rainer is not concerned by the glut of new restaurants opening up in the area. Indeed he sees it as a benefit.

"The more good restaurants you have attracts people to an area, as we have found in Charlotte Street. Competition is a good thing and if someone can't get a table with us one week, they will the next."

With dishes like sweet shrimp and grilled teriyaki chicken on the menu there will be plenty to tempt people in. What could be more problematic for novice is knowing whether to ask for their accompanying sake warm or cold. For Rainer the answer is simple.

He said: "If it's a good quality one it should always be drunk cold. You can drink sake warm in winter but when you warm it up you lose the alcohol and the flavours, so it's always better to drink it cold."