Kuai Momos (CLOSED)

As a tribute to this spot that's so different from others of its ilk, so contrary to many that dare to call themselves Asian restaurants, this review will be like an inverted pyramid, and we'll start at the end.

The desserts are simple and not ostentatious, but home-made and very good. The wine list reveals an interest in satisfying customers who want to eat and drink well, without a host of cheap wines with the prices tripled like you might see elsewhere.

The tuna tartare is cut and prepared magnificently, with a mustard sauce and flavours from alfalfa sprouts and smoked black salt. Served on a bed of avocado, it's a delicious mix of cultures. The 'suke' salmon, blanched in oil and served with a light sauce of yoghurt, dill and ginger, was the big surprise for its quality and taste.

It's said that the Vietnamese 'nem' come from the Mekong Delta. The nem you'll find in this Asian suburb of Gràcia are carefully prepared with rice paper, prawns or crab, carrots, onions, soy beans, coriander, lettuce and thought, served chilled with sweet-and-sour sauce. They explode on your taste buds in a thousand flavours, and have got to be the best in town.

So now we're up to the starters. The miso soup isn't just your garden variety but with well-selected seaweed and delicate, high-quality tofu. The 'gyoza' dumplings also put Momos apart from the rest we've tried.

Jordi Brau, chef, hotelier, son of a Catalan father and Italian mother, and an avid traveller, lived for seven years in South-East Asia, where a Tibetan refugee in Nepal let him share a cooker in a market stall. At Momos you'll feel welcomed the moment you enter. 'Born out of my passion for Asia, where I worked in the food industry, I've combined my work with another of my passions: travelling,' says Brau.

The reasonably priced restaurant is open only at night, and there's a corner where you can eat sitting on the floor. One final word of advice: Go during the week, because Fridays and Saturdays it's mobbed.