London restaurant Aaya goes into administration

London restaurant Aaya has collapsed into administration less than a year after opening.

Owned by Gary Yau, brother of Wagamama and Hakkasan founder Alan Yau, the Japanese restaurant in Soho launched to critical acclaim last May.

It offered a traditional Japanese menu with a modern interpretation and served signature dishes, including grilled yellowtail cheek with ponzu daikon; slow-cooked Kakuni pork belly; and beef toban yaki.

Spread over two floors, the 110-seat restaurant was designed by David Archer Architects and featured modern furniture alongside classic Japanese embossed wood and embroidered lampshades.

While the restaurant was a big hit with the critics and won Best Oriental Restaurant in the relaunched London Restaurant Awards last autumn, it struggled to draw in punters in the economic downturn and was forced to close earlier this month.

Aaya called in administrators Begbies Traynor this week.

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By Kerstin Kühn

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