Beijing

A meal at Nadaman Japanese Restaurant is a treat for both eye and palate. The eatery offering kaiseki-style fine dining has relocated and opened on the fourth floor of China World Summit Wing, Beijing.

In the midst of all the heavy holiday feasting, gourmets will appreciate Nadaman's lighter touches even more.

Imagine a meal that starts with mouthfuls of white asparagus bean curd with fruit jelly, chicken slices with sesame paste and blanched greens - all presented in tiny, ornate porcelain containers placed on ice in a bento box.

A sashimi platter of tuna, Norwegian salmon and flounder followed. Up next was the chef's special "simmered dish" of hamachi yellow tail and shrimp. There is only one shrimp in the bowl, but it is packed full of intense flavor.

The yellow tail was very tender, and came wrapped in a wafer-thin skein of radish.

I've always preferred salmon in sashimi rather than cooked, but Nadaman's broiled Norwegian salmon with olive oil and citron soy sauce changed my mind.

The staple is steamed rice with chopped prawn tempura served two ways, dry or with soup. You can try the shrimp and rice on their own, and then have the soup poured over. The rice is flavored and fragrant, while the soup really soothes the stomach.

Dessert was Nadaman original Gula Melaka (sago pudding with palm sugar), with a ball of vanilla ice cream and dark sugar syrup. It was such a winner that I was tempted to lick my spoon.

Nadaman is named after founder Mansuke Nadaya, who opened his first restaurant in Osaka, in 1830, with the focus on traditional Japanese cuisine. There are now 24 Nadaman restaurants in Japan and overseas, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing.

The average bill is around 500 yuan ($75) a person for lunch, and 600-1,000 yuan a person for dinner. The restaurant will stay open during the Spring Festival holidays, and very likely to satisfy even the most discerning palates.

China Daily

(China Daily 01/30/2011 page13)