Service is a point of pride at any Japanese restaurant worth its wasabi and Aya is no exception. Staff were rarely more than a raised hand away and with such professionalism on the floor, the kitchen had a hard act to follow.

Starting off, the steamed crab dumplings ($12) proved a delight. Rolled in noodle strips, and the tiny dab of mustard on the side packed a sinus-clearing punch. The chef's sushi selection ($29.50) featured scampi, scallop roe and lightly scored sea urchin. Although the dish was a good grab bag of marine biology, it seemed to lack the passion and precision of the dumplings.

Some mains appeared more geared towards European tastes, and the pan-fried porterhouse with miso sauce (23.80) largely pulled it off – very much an east-meets-west steak.

But the seafood, beef and vegetable hotplate ($25.80) didn't quite live up to its promise. Cooking shellfish is like visiting the solarium - easy does it - so while the rest of the dish was done perfectly, the hotplate left the prawns and scallops a touch dry.

The banana fritter with red bean paste ($8.80) was a cut above the usual Asian stand-by. And the black sesame ice cream ($2.70) was confounding as it sounds. From a visual standpoint, it should taste of licorice, yet it had a nutty, almost savoury, quality.

Also on the plus side, Aya has gone to great pains to produce a wine-matched menu.

Source: Caulfield Leader, October 12 th , 2004