One worth waiting for?

Montana Avenue was mostly closed up tight as a clam on a recent weekday night, but the action in front of Yu, the new pan-Asian restaurant that moved into the old Wolfgang Puck space, was nonstop. It had all the earmarks of the latest hot spot: fancy wheels purring at the curb, skimpily clad girls in teetering stiletto heels thumb-dialing cellphones out front.

Three of us were sitting outside on the edge of a planter, waiting for a table. Inside, the bar with multiple Buddha heads lighted by candles and lacy Moroccan lanterns couldn’t fit even one more size-2 hipster. The only indoor place to wait, a rough-hewn bench in front of the maitre d’ station, was occupied by a party of grown-ups and their bored, restless and -- needless to say -- hungry kids.

At quarter to 9, after waiting 40 minutes, we were starting to find this very tedious. “What about that empty table?” I asked.

“That’s reserved for someone from our corporate office,” was the answer.

Nobody was leaving. And since Yu takes reservations only for parties of eight or more, it’s strictly first come, first served for everybody else. And this was on a weekday. I can’t begin to imagine what it’s like on weekends.

When the family finally gave up, we moved in, warm at last. We perused the menu and took in the details of the sassy Asian decor. Huge domed birdcages dangle from the mile-high ceiling. Behind a carved panel, a bigger-than-life-size Buddha looks out over the dining room. Ornate Moroccan lanterns add romance to the darkened room while waiters in Chinese pajamas ferry bottles of chilled sake or miniature braziers to the tables. At the one-hour point, we finally got a table.

The food from chef Andrew DeGroot (last seen at Avenue in Beverly Hills) is mostly small plates -- and I’m talking small. An order of crisp, subtly flavored vegetable spring rolls is basically just two pieces. Vietnamese lemon grass-crusted spareribs arrive on a small brazier: three for $10. The plating is artful, the tastes clean and focused.

I liked the “fiery Bangkok chicken wings,” but the Indonesian beef sirloin satay could use a peanut sauce with more character. Shredded chicken salad is moist and delicious, laced with sesame seed and ribbons of cucumber.

The portions are so dainty, sharing a plate with more than one other person is tough. If you’re three, you’ll have to order two of everything just to get a bite. After devouring a handful of appetizers, we were still hungry.

Larger plates, though, may not be all that much bigger. Or at least our stir-fry beef tenderloin wasn’t. Best thing all night? The gutsy chile kimchi fried rice.

The combination of sexy decor and inventive pan-Asian fare in a neighborhood without much going in the way of nightlife is drawing throngs. If the no-reservation policy stands, that’s going to mean a wait, sometimes a long one, for a seat in the bar or the dining room.

*

Yu Restaurant and Lounge

Where: 1323 Montana Ave., Santa Monica

When: Lunch 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays, dinner 6:30 to 11 p.m. daily. Reservations taken only for parties of eight or more. Full bar. Valet parking.

Cost: small bites, $7 to $12; salads, $10 to $12; “raw and roll,” $8 to $18; sushi, $6; large bites, $14 to $21; desserts, $5.

Info: (310) 395-4727