Ajna Bar (Formerly Buddha Bar) Guide from New York Hotels
Buddha Bar NYC recently re-branded itself as Ajna Bar and hired Bravo's Top Chef Season Three winner, Hung Huynh to create an innovative new menu. Ajna Bar was originally Buddha Bar NYC, part of the Paris based Buddha Bar Worldwide group, but changed their name after splitting away from the Buddha Bar Worldwide group. The name Ajna comes from a yoga term for the sixth chakra.
The new menu is modern Asian cuisine with some subtle French influences, served family style. The ingredients are fresh so the menu changes seasonally. The previous menu included: shrimp dumplings in lobster shiitake mushroom sauce, a toro tuna tartare with yam sauce served in a martini glass and topped with black caviar, miso sablefish, kurobuta pig, spiced day boat snapper, Chinese duck, curry jumbo shrimp, filo spun tiger prawns, roasted beet salad, and anise creamed spinach. Ajna Bar has an excellent sushi menu and a good selection of sake.
It will be interesting to see what changes Chef Hung Huynh makes. Chef Huynh has significant experience in Vietnamese and French cooking and is known for the creativity and execution. His Top Chef victory did not come easy. Two of Chef Huynh's winning dishes were his Tuna Tartare with Nicoise Olives, White Asparagus, and Egg Vinaigrette, and his Molten Chocolate Mini-Cakes.
Despite the name and menu changes, most of the classic design elements of Buddha Bar remain the same, particularly the giant seventeen foot Buddha statue that dominates the main space. Diners enter through a cylindrical tunnel lined with statues and the central atrium is illuminated by a massive skylight. Some tables will have views of a carp pond beneath the glass flooring. Jellyfish swim in aquariums built into the walls. New York law prohibits people from smoking in restaurants, but Ajna Bar has a glass indoor smoking room so guests do not have to endure the elements to catch a few drags.
At night, Ajna Bar changes from a restaurant for business dinners and fancy dates into an exclusive nightclub lounge scene with a cosmopolitan international crowd and a few celebrities. Celebrity guests have included Heidi Klum, Lindsay Lohan, Eva Mendes, and Sarah Jessica Parker. A sure way to bypass the strict door policy is to secure a late dinner reservation in advance, then stay for the party. Resident DJ, DJ Timka is known for his progressive world beat mixes and attracts music fans from across the city and beyond. DJ Timka's exclusive Ajna Bar mix CDs are available for purchase.
The cocktail list is geared toward female patrons, offering an array of sweet colorful drinks. The signature drink is the Black Buddha, a blend of mango and passion fruit vodkas with pomegranate and pineapple. It would be advisable to secure accommodations in advance at a nearby hotel. The Meatpacking District has some of New York's most fashionable hotels. Ajna Bar is located in New York's Meat Packing District at 25 Little West 12th Street, and is open from 6:00 PM to 4:00 AM.