Aja –A Journey to Asia

Aja – the local surprise.  What my friend and I had initially dismissed as a “greasy beef and black bean destination” (which wasn’t helped by the fact that she had received a $25 meal voucher in her letterbox - rarely a good sign of a business going well), turned out to be an exceptional local restaurant. 

It was a Friday night sleepover at Kathleen and Adam’s place after being forced to leave my own home due to a flooded bedroom.  Initially hesitating to going to Aja for dinner, after a few wines at Albert Park Hotel we decided why not, let’s give this place a go – thank goodness we did!

As soon as we walked into the door the service was impeccable.  Our wine and water glasses were never left empty, our plates were cleared and table cleaned at the end of the each dish, the staff were incredibly warm, helpful and friendly, and we consistently had a waiter within only a metre or so away to be at our every beck and call.  Even the toilet experience was something to rave about (who would have thought??): candles on each step of the stairs that led to the toilets, a sweet outdoor tea garden at the top and fluffy white towels to dry your hands on.

The food, while not mind-blowing, was still very good Asian cuisine.  We shared steamed duck and spinach dim sum ($12), fried squid in spice salt ($15), Aja’s no-nonsense stirred fried noodle ($20.80), the wok tossed fish of the day which was barramundi ($29.80) and the Korean Beef ($29.50).  The fried squid in spice salt was a bit tough and the dim sums were nothing inspirational - but the rest of the dishes were rather tasty.  The barramundi was the dish of the day for Kath and me – although the Korean Beef scored a vote from Adam who was kind enough to take the photos below after my phone had died. 

A restaurant of exceptional value (even more so in our case with a $25 meal voucher and a bottle of BYO wine) and impeccable service, this local gem is a must to visit if you’re in the mood for Asian cuisine.  

Verdict: Love