AjaSupplied12/20
Asian$$$
Asian cuisine,with its myriad flavours and styles,can be hard to pin down. Say your mother wants rice-paper rolls,your brother is busting for Korean barbecue,and then there's you,who only arranged the whole dang sortie to satisfy a curry craving. Where to go? Aja,whose menu covers all bases in a mostly calm,soft-lit environment - unless it's full,when it can be loud and service may be stretched. Rice-paper rolls filled with creamy avocado,sharp basil and fried soft-shell crab (crustacean legs all akimbo) tickle the palate nimbly;they're served with a honey-heavy dipping sauce. Little domes of spinach and duck dumplings are stuffed with fresh,vivacious ingredients,although some may find the glutinous pastry heavy. A special of fat lemongrass prawns pops with flavour - prawns are charry,sweet and pack a hefty chilli punch. And northern-Chinese lamb shanks are subtly spiced,tender and served on nutty wild rice. Conclude your genre-spanning journey with a creamy tiramisu that should satisfy the whole gang.