November 23, 2004
Aja Restaurant
1066 1st ave at 58th st.
New York, NY 10022
Phone 212.888.8008
From the moment you arrive at Aja you realize this is not your typical Japanese Restaurant. A large wooden door is your gateway into this stylish restaurant. Beyond the door, there is a dark curtain hanging from the ceiling you may have to navigate your way through. Once you are firmly inside the Restaurant you will see to your right is a very neat looking small bar area (about 8-10 seats and a L-shaped couch tucked into the corner) with one plasma TV placed directly behind the bar. To the left is an inviting dining area, which is bound to make any Zen Master happy.
Aja's Dining Room
I started off with a $6 Tiger Beer at the bar while waiting for my friend to arrive. The bartender was extremely nice and the bar was very clean and well kept. Once my friend arrived a hostess walked us through the dining room and over the goldfish and koi tanks built into the floor and sat us one table away from this massive Buddha. The Buddha is part of a waterfall type fountain with goldfish and kois. There is a light that shines on the Buddha and it changes color throughout the night making the entire area around you change color, which was a nice touch.
Okay enough about the decor. We started off ordering two sushi rolls as our appetizers. The $8 Spicy Shrimp Tempura Roll (5 pcs.) was very good. The Tempura was crispy and the Shrimp were fresh. The $8 Crunchy Spicy Tuna Roll was just as good as the Shrimp Tempura Roll. It was not overwhelmingly spicy and the crunchy texture was great. The $24 Char-Grilled Chilean Sea Bass with Miso and Sake Glaze was very tasty and was an average portion for the price. The $22 Hong Kong Duck was tasty but just a little dry. The Duck was chopped off the bone and it was an excellent sized portion for the price. One more Tiger Beer with dinner and the bill came to about $74 for 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, and 1 beer. A customer at the table next to us had the Kobe Beef that you cook at your table with a Japanese Stone Grill. It looked and smelled delicious. Overall this was a very good meal, great atmosphere, great date place. I would definitely go back.
Posted by leesays at November 23, 2004 08:43 AM