Design: The space that
Aska occupies is multitasking. By day, it's
Kinfolk Studios, which itself multitasks as a cafe, bike company, & creative agency. (From 6pm on, Tuesday through Sunday, it's Aska.) Although bilevel, airy, and lofty, acoustics are good. There are 4 seating areas (3 of which are 1st come 1st serve), one of which is right up against the glass garage-door facade. Another is a little room tucked to one side, like a den. Then there's the bar, where I sat, long and wooden and with enough room behind the stools so ppl can pass w/o brushing against anyone seated. The cozy rear area, reserved for those partaking of the tasting menu, features a striking hawk mural. Overall, the aesthetic is pretty typical of the times & neighborhood: wood & concrete; midcentury-esque mismatched furniture; sort of Scandinavia by way of Japan. It is pleasant, though, and works just as well for small groups (den-like room) as it does for 2 friends/a date (front, bar, rear). I went on a Tuesday, and by 8pm, it was bustling, but not annoyingly so.
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| The front dining area through the garage door. |
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| The rear reservation-only area. |
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Dish: You have a choice between the $65 tasting menu or the a la carte menu, both of which change daily. We went a la carte and had approximately five items to choose from. Perhaps the chef got a deal on potatoes that morning bc 2 of the options were potato dumplings and potato soup. Both were very good. But the meatballs, served with lingonberries, pickled cucumbers, and, yes, mashed potatoes, were extraordinary. The prices were also extraordinary. Although classified as small plates, we were more than satisfied with the 4 dishes we ordered, and none were more than $9. (That may explain why we were given paper cocktail napkins and disposable untensils, instead of the cloth napkins and silverware the tasting-menu diners were given.)
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| The meatballs. |
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| Potato dumplings. |
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| Potato soup with kale. |
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| Utensils & napkin for a la carte diners. |
Last bite: The service is a little spotty (and all male except for the hostess). It may be more of a space issue than anything--there are like 7 servers crammed into an area that's like 5 square feet. But someone must've been paying attention to our slight frustration & confusion bc our dessert was comped. A nice touch.
