Of the seven-person “Plus WAGs” group chat, two people (one being Alasdair) share a birthday, so obviously a big knees up is required. With the group’s litany of dietaries, we’re happy to alight on Kibou up in Clifton, site of Alasdair’s and my first proper date and the meeting of his parents, so it’s nice to keep a legacy up. Unfortunately, I’m not sure Kibou themselves have. The chicken katsu is.. odd, seeming more tempura cooked than breaded, with batter sliding off as I try to eat it. Disappointing compared to my memories of it. The prawn toast sesame bun is a gimmick not massively worth repeating. I am, though, impressed more with the wagyu beef gunkan, which is the right amount of flavourful and fatty, cutting through the rice and seaweed. The chocolate tart for dessert is simply too much even for me, a tower of chocolate frosting and cake with a generous amount of ice cream. It is neither subtle nor complex, but the third of it I eat is good enough. The cocktails are good enough also, and the company lifts it all plenty.