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Simplicity appeals

Foodwise, 2004 may be remembered as the year tapas finally made a breakthrough, with a decidedly Asian sensibility. Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas put the word in its name, though anyone who's ever frequented the local izakaya have been dining on these little bites, or pupu-sized palate pleasers, for years.

As more people learn the benefits of right-sized portions as the key to diet management -- imagine the day when we can "X" out losing weight as a New Year resolution -- the day of the giant entree will fade, becoming a symbol of late 20th-century excess.

In addition to Hiroshi's, OnO Bar & Grill at The Westin Maui Resort & Spaintroduced "Tapas Hawaiian Style" in July. Back on Oahu, Okonomi Cuisine Kai put style into small plates, as well as into its space on Makaloa Street, blending elements of ancient Japanese farmhouse (look up when you visit) and Tokyo chic. And there was one restaurant I overlooked due to its formidable, heavy doors hiding who knows what dark, seedy venue. Thankfully, one kind soul convinced me it would be OK to open those doors and I saw the light.

I'm talking about Bistro A Un, smack dab in the center, ground floor, of McCully Shopping Center (it's underneath the well-received Brazilian temple of red meat, Tudo de Bom). Inside, you'll feel grateful for the doors and curtains offering privacy and shelter from the steady stream of traffic that isn't exclusive to the holiday season.

With its bar, low lights and austere tables, Bistro A Un looks like a place for the hipster set, but over the course of an evening, I've seen its 30 seats fill up with characters from a broad swath of humanity. There were old folks, Japanese businessmen, barflies, artsy types, groups of friends, couples on dates and marrieds with kids -- an amazing assortment given the restaurant's small size. About the only thing they have in common is an appreciation of food, and that plays into the meaning of "Aun," which was described to me as "friends understanding one another without words, without speaking."

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F.L. MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM At Bistro A Un in the McCully Shopping Center, bartenders Momo Kiyama, left, and Sakura Fujiwara show off some of the dishes they serve. Kiyama displays the grilled lamb; Fujiwara is holding up the tuna and avocado tartar.

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WITH A MENU as vast as that of a Chinese restaurant, there's bound to be something at Bistro A Un to please everyone. The menu is divided into starters, fried foods, grilled dishes, pastas and desserts, but feel free to start anywhere.

Treatments are simpler than you'll find at most izakaya, often no more than a sprinkling of salt and pepper before broiling or grilling, or scant traces of teriyaki sauce allowing diners to truly taste their food.

Where the restaurant goes overboard is in the heavy, creamy (and popular) seafood gratin ($5.95), and an eggplant gratin ($5.95) that melts in your mouth but is bathed in tomato sauce with the consistency and concentration of tomato paste. It's almost like an eggplant pizza.

You might start with fresh fish carpaccio ($6.95), often snapper topped with a dab of pesto and soy sauce and served with mixed greens, or the tuna and avocado tartar ($6.95), a timbale of undressed ahi and generous chunks of avocado, also with dots of soy and pesto sauce on the side.

On chilly nights, you may want to follow with a Korean-style hot pot ($8.95), or soup of kim chee, seafood and tofu, that isn't nearly as spicy as it would be at a Korean restaurant.

Crabmeat croquettes ($4.50) are a hit here due to their fatty, creamy content with velvety interior and crisp exterior, but my choice of fat is the quartet of chicken wings ($3.95), simply deep-fried with a dash of salt and pepper.

The heaviest dishes are tender pepper steak ($8.95) in rich demi-glace, and even better, two herbed, grilled lamb chops ($8.95) that may have you wishing you'd placed two orders, if only there weren't so many other dishes to sample!

If you feel any twinge of guilt at all for pigging out, this might also be the time to see green by picking up an order of sautéed spinach ($4.50) with a sprinkling of bacon, or grilled asparagus ($4.75), or choi sum with oyster sauce ($4.50).

For the kids there is a rather watery tomato sauce seafood spaghetti ($8.50), but choices depend on just how sophisticated your kid is. The ones next to me were feasting on pepper steak, beef and mushroom omurice (rice omelet, $8.50) and anime.

Dessert is basic. There is cheesecake ($5.50), bitter coffee jelly ($3.50) or the usual green tea ice cream ($3.50).

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Bistro A Un McCully Shopping Center, 1960 Kapiolani Boulevard, ground floor, suite 107 / 947-4914 Food Service Ambience Value Hours: 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Cost: About $30 to $40 for two without drinks