Restaurant Ají — Restaurant in Rotterdam

The food was excellent, but all impressions of the nice evening were ruined by the impoliteness of the waiter.

We received a bill with two vegetarian four course menus on it, but ordered and had the regular ones. We notified him and he left to change the bill. According to the menu I received at the time of placing the order (I had an English version) it costed 49€ per person. I even took a picture of it, as I really liked the design of it.

On the bill we had two menus of 59€ each. I asked about the price difference and he just started to talk in a very rude and impolite way to me. He accused me of having taken this picture from somewhere else (with the time and place stamp the phone stores for each photo I can show that it was taken that night when we received the menus). He brought a Dutch menu where the price of 59€ was shown which I didn’t have at the time of ordering. According to him exactly the same price of 59€ was also on the website- I only find prices for Wednesday and not Sunday menus and the price there is 55€ for four courses.

I was really surprised about the rude behavior and unfriendliness of the waiter. No „thank you“ for notifying about the wrong vegetarian menus (which by the way are cheaper than the regular ones) but just rude answers to the question of the price difference of 10€ per menu. My question was simply addressing the price difference and nothing else and I have to say that it is absolutely unprofessional to react the way he did.

I definitely cannot recommend the place which is a shame as the food was very good. I rather spend my money on food with less quality but friendlier service. The discrepancy between the quality of food and the behavior of the waiter was not...

Aji takes inspiration from diverse cuisines worldwide, crafting dishes that are a symphony of flavors. While some dishes hit the mark perfectly, others could benefit from a bit more refinement. 🍽️

Overall, Aji is a worthwhile culinary adventure. Here's a breakdown of the menu I tried:

Seabass ceviche - A refreshing blend of seabass, rhubarb, hibiscus, sweet potato, tigermilk, crunchy corn, citrus, koriander foam and aji amarillo. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Salmon - A delicate combination of salmon, parsley root, parsley, wild garlic, parmesan, and shimeji mushrooms. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pulpo - A perfectly cooked octopus with a delicious bell pepper sauce, but the octopus is missing its natural sweetness. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Confit de canard - Crispy duck confit paired with beetroot purée and passion jus. The confit process added only a heavy duck or goose fat flavour. Needs some work. ⭐️⭐️

Tarte tartin - A modern take on a classic French dessert with a twist of tonka bean gelato. This deconstructed version is missing the heart and soul warming character of the OG. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you're looking for a unique dining experience that takes you on a culinary journey around the world, Aji is definitely worth...

Went back to Aji after my last visit over a year ago and I'm happy to report that even when their head chef changed (and therefore they don't offer the gastronomic expedition anymore), their dining experiene remains high quality and unique.

If you enjoy Latin/Asian flavors, this place is for you!

We enjoyed the 5 course dinner (missed the photo of the meat dish), which presented a varied menu of seafood, vegetarian, and meat dishes. We ordered a beautiful sparkling rose bottle to accompany the dinner and asked for a red wine recommendation for the meat dish. Our very nice, attentive, and friendly server recommended a glorious red wine that paired perfectly with the dish (even though it was not normally offered by the glass, many thanks for that!). The highlight of the evening was by far the vegetarian dish, which was a rare combination of green apple, avocado, and salsa macha. Pure perfection and bomb of flavors!

The only downside for me is that the portions are on the smaller side. I've been to various high end restaurants and portions tend to be a tad bigger... or maybe it's just me wanting a bit more of...