2008 Best New Restaurants in Beijing - Salt (ÑÎ) and Haiku by Hatsune (ÒþȪ֮Óï)

Salt (�)
Website: http://www.meiguoxing.com/Restaurant...rant/Salt.html
Cuisine: Contemporary Cuisine
Address: 1/F, 9 Jiangtai Xilu, 2nd Floor, Trio Building, (opposite the
Japanese School, west of Rosedale Hotel),Lido Area,Chaoyang District,
Beijing (北京�阳区将�西路�丽酒店西边）
Hours: Mon-Sat noon-3pm, 6pm-10.30pm, Sun Brunch noon-4pm
Phone: 010-6437 8457

Salt, the latest project from Gaby Alves, ex-owner and manager of
Beijing's award-winning Brazilian restaurant Alameda, opened in 2007
to rave reviews from Beijing diners. Voted "Best Contemporary" and "
Best Service" and "Best Western Restaurant of the Year" in 2008
Reader Restaurant Awards. The restaurant's stylishly lit and furnished
interior sets the stage for an eclectic selection of contemporary
cuisine that doesn't sacrifice taste in the pursuit of innovation.

“We named it SALT because it is the only ingredient used in every
dish,� says Gaby Alves. “It adds flavor to life and that’s what this
new restaurant will bring to Beijing diners – more flavor.� Indeed the
name seems fitting – after all, people who are the ‘salt of the earth’
are decent, dependable and unpretentious, and perhaps SALT, with its
“minimalist, plain and earthy style,� is a good reflection of the
idiom.


Haiku by Hatsune (éš�泉之è¯*, 新的寿å�¸é�©å‘½)
Website: http://www.meiguoxing.com/Restaurant...y_Hatsune.html
Cuisine: Japanese
Address: Block 8, 3/F, (above Kong Yiji), Chaoyang Park West Road No
8, (�阳西路8�), Chaoyang District, Beijing
Phone: 010-6508-8585
Opening Hours: 6pm-1am

Part of Alan Wong’s new multi-venue project Block 8, the trendy spin-
off of Beijng’s famed Hatsune. Inspired by travel, experimentation and
tradition, Haiku has a menu consisting of timeless Hatsune favorites
as well as new creations such as innovative rolls and an extensive
YAKITORI menu.

Two great summer starters are the jellyfish sunomono shots (Â¥25) and
the tai ceviche tapas (Â¥38). The jellyfish shots are tart and crispy,
and the ceviche, based on the Mexican dish prepared by “cooking� raw
fish in citrus juices for two days, is equally delightful. One must-
try dish is the broiled sea conch (Â¥48), served sizzling in its own
shell, its juices boiling as it sits atop a rock-covered flame. Conch,
having one of the longest cooking times of all marine critters, can
take the heat, so sip on a cocktail or a cool Asahi beer as you watch
the show, before delving into the slices of savory mushroom tucked
away in chewy pieces of conch.

One innovation here is the yakitori (Japanese grill). Diners should
come in on a separate night to enjoy it. Unlike the overwhelming
flavors that sometimes mar yakitori’s good name, the chicken tsukune
(Â¥20) and the beef teriyaki (Â¥22) were very tender and in their own,
subtle way force the diner to pay attention to them. For a salty
crunch at the end of the meal, try the ginnan (ginko nuts, ¥15).
Creative dishes are all well and good, but the real measure of a
restaurant is how well it does the classics. After sampling of the o-
toro (tuna), sake (salmon), amaebi (raw, sweet shrimp) and inari
(sweet soybean skin) sushi (Â¥18-60) we came to the unanimous
conclusion: very good. The fish,
flown in daily, was both fresh and delicate, and the rice had just the
right amount of crunch to make things interesting. While Haiku has
inherited a few roll recipes from its big brother, its selection is
sure to please even those who are already addicted to the classics.
The seafood samba roll (Â¥78), the el capitano cruncho roll (Â¥65) or
the roll-x, topped with real 14 karat gold (Â¥118).