East Side Fusion

As one enters Aja, an eye-catching new Asian-fusion restaurant cornering the new Sutton Place Area, you know something important is going on inside. On the right is a cunning little bar/lounge and on the left, a welcoming sushi bar beckons with fresh, beautifully carved seafood and a trio of chefs, who smile and greet you with a warm hello. Gray stone walls surround gorgeous mahogany tables (everything is imported from China), while a Teakwood Buddha, carved from a single large piece of wood hundreds of years, adds a spiritual element. There are stone floors, punctuated by a fully stocked aquarium, set in the stone-floor. Industrial pipes are attractively covered with hemp, while bamboo columns, a pond of water and colorful glasses surround Mr. Buddha. Counterpointing these exotica is a friendly, energetic staff of mostly Caucasian waiters, a terrific soundtrack of new-age music and sexy cocktails like a green-tea margarita.

The helpful young general manager, Leo Cheng moves from table to table, guiding customers to the most popular dishes. Truth be told, there isn’t must to worry about on the menu, which spans the Orient from creative takes on sushi and tartars (go for the toro and you will be delighted) to Thai, Malaysian, Vietnamese and China where a classic Peking duck, that arrives user-friendly, without even a leg bone, with featherweight, housemade doilies, moist fresh and paper thin, crisp skin. Some of the best dishes at Aja are the small plates, labeled “Kitchen Starters.” You won’t find better baby ribs in rib-heaven and the dumplings, here ground pork with mashed green beans and Chinese ham, are wonderful. Thai spiced beef wrap is a huge plate, filled with good quality beef, Thai chilis, spices, a tad too much lime juice and fresh mint, all waiting to be wrapped in red leaf lettuce that belies its modest $9 price tag.

The other raveable entrée we tried was dubbed “Double Treasure.” It arrived as a lovely platter of pan-fried jumbo shrimp and Chilean seabass in a mild Malaysian-style sauce. Fried Rice is fabulous & arrives encased in a thin crepe. We had no room for dessert, but fresh fruit would have been perfect. The bar at Aja turns out generous and beautifully made libations and there is a fine list of sake and beer. There is also an inexpensive and intelligently selected wine list.

Because of the area, Aja is not open for lunch and is a veritable oasis early in the evening. By the time we left, it was packed, mostly with neighborhood folks. But Aja deserves to be a destination restaurant and offers a downtown experience and high-end food at a fair price

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