The location
On the eastern coast of The Palm’s “trunk”, just before the first fronds, Club Vista Mare houses a burgeoning mini development of interesting eateries. It’s easy enough to locate, although if you miss the correct turn in off the main road, the one-way system will probably ensure you’re late for brunch. Aji takes its inspiration from the Japanese influence on Peru, specialising in “Nikkei” cuisine, while that cross-cultural ethos extends to the interior, which is a blaze of colour and style, incorporating greens, oranges, blues and browns. The outdoor terrace is perfect for clement weather, although inside is far busier during our visit, with a wide choice of seating, including low-backed benches for more-communal brunching and grand, almost-colonial leather seating to one side of the dining area for more refined lounging.
The atmosphere
The buzz picks up pace during the course of brunch at Aji: at first, there are only a few tables occupied, including one semi-private-dining booth enthusiastically celebrating a birthday, but an hour or two in and there aren’t nearly so many empty seats. From couples to larger groups and family tables, the clientele is varied in scale and nationalities, including a noticeable number of Spanish speakers.
The food
Plentiful. All of the initial offerings – four ceviches, two tiraditos (Peruvian raw fish dishes somewhere between sashimi and carpaccio), two nigiris, four futomakis and four piqueos (think: a Nikkei take on tapas) – are served to your table as a set menu, smartly spanning the South American/Far Eastern divide. In terms of service, it was all or nothing at this point: sluggish when we first arrived, but once dishes started arriving, we were worried they might not stop. Indeed, a second table nearby had to be commandeered to accommodate the steady procession of dishes that were ferried to our table. It was far too much for two people, frankly, and that was before a main each and a mini dessert platter. Personal picks would have to be the salmon shake tacos and the tori anticuchos chicken skewers, the latter presented, still smoking, on a mini burner.
Who’s it best for?
The extremely hungry and those who prefer their Friday brunching to be at the table and of the imaginative variety.
The verdict
A transpacific delight, from the sushi to the ceviche and beyond.
The National was a guest of the restaurant.
• Fridays noon to 4pm, from Dh275, Aji, Club Vista Mare Beach Club, The Palm Jumeirah, Dubai. Reservations 04 552 0244
aworkman@thenational.ae
