Whenever you find a place that serves good sake, there is a high chance it has quality food, too. No matter if it's an upscale Japanese restaurant, a down-home izakaya tavern or an obscure bar for sake geeks, this rule of thumb rarely fails. It certainly applies at Gem by Moto.

This excellent little sake specialist in nether Ebisu does not fall into any of those categories. In fact, with its hardwood counter, glass doors looking out on the street and uncluttered, monochrome decor, you might take it for a Scandinavian-style coffee shop — until, that is, you spy the glow of the large refrigerator and its distinctive cargo of bottles.

Inviting and accessible, Gem by Moto is the kind of place that feels as easy to enter for first-timers as it is for regulars. This is precisely the intention of owner Marie Chiba.