Miami has never been known for Asian cuisine, and our few truly sublime options are either too pricey, like Nobu, or starkly casual, like Lan Pan-Asian, to be all-purpose favorites. The simple but elegant Origin Asian Bistro in South Miami fills the gap. Open 18 months, it's a place that's easy to love all the time.

Owners Lena Sumonthee and husband Parapast run Origin with help from her chef-dad, Thanu ''Joe'' Sinevong, who got his start at the Mandarin Oriental in his hometown of Bangkok. Their South Beach Origin floundered after a few months, but this one is thriving.

Once inside, you quickly forget its unfortunate proximity to a busy strip club. The room is decorated in earthy reds and greens with lots of rich wood and bamboo accents. Cascades of festive silk orchids brighten the room, as does mottled sunlight through the wooden blinds that obscure U.S. 1.

Owner Lena sets the tone for the calm, efficient and smiling service. The only real drawback is the rambling menu. With nearly 30 starters and as many entrees with origins in Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, China and Vietnam, plus a huge sushi selection, it is hard to know what to order. Lots of daily specials heighten the dilemma.

The good news is it's hard to go wrong, starting with signature lamb ribs so meltingly tender a breeze could blow them off the bone. They are held in place with a honey-sweet barbecue sauce scented with cumin and curry.

Green papaya salad makes a lovely contrast with its crunchy yellow threads of unripe fruit, dry-roasted peanuts, cherry tomato halves and crispy long beans. It's all tossed with a tangy chile-lime dressing and piled on two beaming smiles of ripe papaya. (A similar rendition at the ultra-luxe new Setai on South Beach costs three times as much at $18 and was no better.)

The shumai, served with a bold mustard dipping sauce, encases plump shrimp and crab in a delicately sheer wrapper. The so-called MTV platter with house-made peanut dipping sauce is a great starter to share: The Malaysian coconut shrimp are perfectly snappy and juicy with a light coating of coconut and a delightful red curry sauce, the Thai chicken satay is deftly seared and incredibly moist (but could use a bit more flavor) and the Vietnamese shrimp ravioli enveloped in translucent rice paper is a triumph in subtlety.

Of the dozen or so starters we sampled, including a superb rare filet mignon salad with mint and basil, the only slight misstep was a bland cod fish that was too dry and could have used an extra hit of sake.

Frankly, so could the wine list, with its generic hot and cold sake choices. Wine options, though limited, are well-matched to the menu and reasonably priced. A $26 bottle of Bonny Doon Pacific Rim Riesling was just tart and citrusy enough to match the variety of spicy dishes at the table. Given the very generous corkage policy ($6-$9), you may want to bring your own bottle.

As good as the appetizers are, the entrees are even better. The Cambodian-style fish amok is one of those dishes you crave -- a complex mélange of Vietnamese basa or flounder steamed with napa cabbage, lime leaves, lemon grass, coconut and sticky rice in a moist banana-leaf envelope.

The wok filet mignon is cooked to a perfect medium rare and smothered in a creamy Panang-style curry with chunks of onions, sweet potatoes and baby carrots. Our only complaint: The rice is so sticky it comes out of its serving cups in unwieldy clumps.

From huge and meaty grilled prawns to pan-roasted salmon with springy shiitake mushrooms and a gently sautéed spinach salad, seafood is well treated here. The sushi also meets a high standard. Rosy slabs of tuna, creative rolls and fresh red clams were uniformly fresh and tasty. Noodles, too, including an ethereal pad Thai, are elegantly prepared and presented.

Desserts are uneven. A caramelized apple and banana roll with green tea ice cream is a sweet and gloppy soup, but hot Thai doughnuts with condensed milk and peanuts make a satisfying conclusion to a great meal.