When the Japanese design firm Super Potato took on the task of designing a restaurant space in the Grand Hyatt, there wasn’t enough room for a full kitchen and a dining room.
The solution: an open kitchen, envisioned as a showcase for the extraordinarily creative cooking talents of head chef Jin Qiang and his staff.
The spectacle is enthralling: fires and fumaroles erupt from the giant woks as chefs stir-fry Sichuan-style green beans; sous chefs carefully flip Xinjiang-style pancakes, and stuff and fold dumplings; Peking ducks roast in a brick oven metres away from where diners roll them into soft, tissue-thin pancakes.
The performance, far from being a distraction, is a reminder that Chinese food, at its best, is about craftsmanship and colour as well as taste.
Upon entering the restaurant, you can also find a more laid-back bar area where you can focus your attention on what is a truly outstanding wine list. Although the collection wine list boasts some of the most exclusive bottles available worldwide – such as a 1995 Chateau Lafite Rothschild or the 1er Grand Cru Classé (23,800RMB) – more modest customers will be just as happy to stick to the
well-rounded selection on the basic wine list, which also offers wine by the glass.