This gem of a place called Fish & Bird serves both those things, plus a whole lot more.

The name of this Berkeley izakaya was actually inspired by the Tom Waits song of the same about a bird that falls in love with a whale.

Likewise, it won’t take much for you to become infatuated with this Michelin-recognized place that serves modern Japanese shareable small plates inspired by seasonal California ingredients.

That’s what I found when I dined with my husband after taking in a matinee of Berkeley Rep’s rock musical, “Galileo,” that’s only about a 12-minute walk away. (By the way, Raul Esparza — you know him from “Law & Order: SVU” — and Madalynn Mathews are spellbinding as father and daughter in this production.)

Even on an early Sunday evening, Fish & Bird was full of diners eager to enjoy Chef Asuka Uchida’s food. A native of Japan who grew up with parents who owned a restaurant, she actually focused on French cuisine at the start of her career, which took her to Australia, then New York where she staged at the acclaimed Corton, before moving to the Bay Area to cook at Spruce in San Francisco and B-Dama in Oakland.

You’ll spot her flitting about in the open kitchen, where the dishes come out fast.

The food was made to go with cocktails or Japanese beer, both of which the restaurant has a nice selection. If you’re looking for something non-alcoholic as I was that night, the Crooked Tree Citrus ($12) with cherry, ginger, and soda is refreshing and not overly sweet.

From the “bites” section of the menu, the sea beans & corn tempura ($16) is simply irresistible with its lacy, ethereal light batter. Done kakiage-style, the golden clusters of sustainably grown, crunchy sea beans and sweet corn kernels are crispy through and through. Matcha powder comes on the side to sprinkle on for a nice note of astringency.

From the “raw” section, the sashimi moriawase ($42) offers up a splendid selection of tuna, kanpachi, sea bream, and house-smoked ocean trout, all supple and served at the perfect not-too-chilled temperature to let their rich natural taste shine.

The specials change frequently and have a limited availability each night. The Iwashi Fry ($21) were two butterflied Monterey Bay sardines that were crusted in panko and fried up crisp, and served with house-made tartar sauce. The tiny bones were fried to a brittle crispiness, rendering them easily eatable, too.

I’m always a sucker for homey agedashi tofu ($15). In this version, the fried silken tofu in a pool of umami-forward dashi also included shishito peppers, pieces of tender eggplant, grated daikon, bonito shavings, and grated ginger. With a bowl of Koshihikari rice from Japan ($5) alongside, it was as comforting as it gets.

My husband, on the other hand, has never met a chicken karaage ($15) he didn’t want to order. The frying on the chicken pieces was again spot-on, rendering the chicken juicy and crunchy. Alongside was a small dish of the restaurant’s house-made curry sansho salt (which it also sells by the jar to take home). You’ll find yourself using every last particle because it adds such a fabulous robust warmth to the chicken — the perfect touch.

Gindara yuanyaki ($28) is melt-in-your-mouth local black cod that’s been marinated in soy sauce with Okinawan shikuwasa citrus juice, then grilled over blistering binchotan, leaving it alluringly smoky and silky.

When you’re craving clean and vibrant Japanese fare, Fish & Bird has got it going on.