Special food comes at a price

We'd heard that Aaura had a special menu, one that promised some exciting pieces of Chinese arcana; we were dead keen to try it.

But three times we asked the staff - of that school of punter-processing that wants to move two people off a table for four, despite an abundance of empty places - and three times we were met with blank incomprehension. Finally, we were told about the specials, and finally, when we ordered a bunch of them, our waitress cracked a smile.

It was all excellent: pressed pork knuckle, thinly sliced, seductively fatty, scented with sesame oil, came with noodle-like strips of chilli-marinated jellyfish. Wonderfully odd. A lacquered roast wood pigeon was magnificent, although it delivered an unsettling moment when I realised I was sucking on its head, complete with beak.

Grouper was dealt with in two ways: classic salt and pepper style, zingy with chilli, and in a savoury soyrich sauce. Far too much Shanghai-braised belly pork next: slippery, rich, unctuous, it was a great example of long-cooking. Special glutinous rice was an intense mix, studded with shrimp and red-cooked pork.

So, pretty good. Then we got the bill. No mention having been made of prices, this little lot - with a bottle of Gew¸rztraminer and service - weighed in at a hefty £113 for two. Caveat emptor - remember to ask the prices.

Aaura
37-38 Gerrard Street, W1D 5QE