Doorway to Heaven: Vin Zai Is a Japanese Treasure Trove

The door to Vin Zai is a portal to food paradise. On a freezing night, I walked in – and submitted to the scent of warm food and a gentle bossa nova soundtrack. The smaller of the restaurant’s two spaces was already full, with six diners whispering in Japanese. Another ten people sat at an L-shaped counter manned by three busy chefs.

My limited Japanese made decoding the monolingual menu a challenge. Cook Fang Xi helped translate my vague hints into recommendations. A bowl of bean curd stew (RMB 32) warmed me up immediately. Braised with thin beef slices and julienned gobo (burdock root), flavored with soy sauce, sugar and mirin (a sake-style rice wine), the tofu was juicy, scorched lightly to unleash extra flavor.

Fang Xi revealed that executive chef/owner Ono Takahiro had developed his philosophy of simple, healthy and tasty homestyle dishes during a stint cooking in Italy. The pickled leaf-thin shishamo fish (RMB 27) was a perfect exposition of the chef’s creed. The fish were packed to the brim with roe. This flavor bomb was detonated by balsamic vinegar, olive oil and red wine, and tempered by soft onions and sweet julienned carrots.

The next surprise was a rainbow of steamed vegetables (RMB 35) that made me glow with every bite, the creamy ivory sauce the key unlocking the ingredients’ natural sweetness.

Then, my friendly neighbor – the manager of Yotsuba, if I understood our “conversation” correctly – invited me to taste his tomato and cheese oden (RMB 25). With minced pork fillings and a baked cheese topping, a whole tomato is braised in a savory soup. Aided by drizzled black pepper and chopped chives, the dish is a harmonious trinity of fruity, meaty and milky flavors.

After some Okinawa-style rice nigiri, I ended with a chocolate dessert (RMB 26), elegantly paired with diced hazelnut, dried figs, fresh strawberries and strawberry sauce.

I plan to return and try everything – once I’ve decoded those Japanese characters. I’ll wash down the food with some alcohol; the menu offers wine, sake, soju and whiskey. Of course, I’ll need to call ahead to reserve – you don’t just stumble off the street into experiences like this.

Menu cheat sheet
bean curd stew
しみったれた男の肉豆腐
pickled shishamo fish
子持ちししゃものエスカベッシュ
steamed vegetables
彩り蒸し野菜のバ－ニャカウダ
tomato and cheese oden
トマトチ－ズおでん
chocolate dessert
マルキ－ズ　ミョコウ

Vin Zai 万菜
Daily 6pm-midnight. 8 Xinyuan Nanlu (opposite Samadhi Vegetarian Tea House), Chaoyang District (130 3111 8170) 朝阳区新源南路8号（三摩地对面）

Got something to say about this or any other Beijing venue? Register as a user at the Beijinger.com and post your review on our online directory.