The ribs platter is the quintessence of chef Yang Yi's creations at Akatoao. (Photo : China Daily)

From a humble, one-table hutong eatery, to a rooftop terrace in the upscale Sanlitun area, Akatoao is firing up Beijing's foodies with its cool twist on barbecue.

In 2017, a restaurant with only one table opened on the floor above a flower shop in Beijing's Wudaoying hutong.

Named Akatoao, the tiny eatery closed within a year, leaving those among the city's gastronomes who had not managed to get a seat at this most exclusive of tables somewhat bereft.

However, last month, the restaurant reopened in the city's Sanlitun area, at a more permanent venue featuring a modern design, a brand-new menu - and many more tables.

"Akatoao literally translates from Japanese into 'red and blue'," explains Wang Bowen, the restaurant's 37-year-old co-founder." We named our restaurant Akatoao because we see red and blue representing fire and water, and while they are incompatible, they can be used together to cook - and we want to cook food that fuses different, sometimes seemingly incompatible, ingredients together."

Writing in the menu, which he designed, he notes "here at Akatoao, we present the oldest cooking method, BBQ, with a new charm."

Explaining the phrase, Wang says: "We gave the old brand a new interpretation. It's a bar and barbecue restaurant now, and it also combines fire and water, like our name suggests."

Located on the top floor of Taikoo Li building N6, the restaurant features a rooftop terrace, so Wang asked the design team to use a "sky" theme for the interior space. The decoration work took seven months to finish.

The light fixtures, made from a paper-like cloth, hang from the ceiling and look like clouds.

"At different times of the day, the light that emanates from the clouds give out different colors, and also changes with the seasons," says Wang.

He adds that the lighting can be changed according to the customer's wishes, especially for special occasions such as birthday parties and marriage proposals.

At the entrance, diners are greeted by an antique plane, part of Wang's own collection. "It's a remote-control aircraft, and it still can fly," he says. "I just want the customers to feel they are indeed up in the sky."

Cocktails and desserts are the highlight of the restaurant as Akatoao offers a themed cocktail list, which will vary over time, as well as afternoon tea.

"This month the theme of our cocktails is 'marinating', as we marinate ingredients such as Chinese bay berries and black tea in alcohol as the base liquor. The next theme might be 'matcha' for which we will invite a bartender from Japan to help us design the cocktails," says Wang.

Beijing chef, Yang Yi, 30, was in charge of the kitchen at the original Akatoao, where he only needed to cook for a dozen people. For this new incarnation of the restaurant, he has designed a whole new menu, which incorporates many sharing dishes.

Yang started to learn how to make Western cuisine in 2004, before officially kicking off his culinary career in 2007. From five-star hotels to social catering, the young chef has practiced and updated his cooking skills in different kitchens.

He combined his understanding of Western cuisine and cooking methods to create the barbecue menu for Akatoao.

The ribs platter is the quintessence of his creations - it has smoked beef brisket, roast pork ribs, roast lamb ribs, grilled bone marrow, accompanied by stir-fried vegetables and various sauces. The different meats require different skills to cook, and a long preparation time.

The first step is to marinate the meat with kelp for at least 12 hours. Some special cuts like the ox tongue, need to be marinated for at least fifteen days.

"This step sucks out all of the bad flavors of the different meat, as kelp has a special salty and fresh flavor," Yang explains.

The second step is to slow cook the meat for anything between 12 to 24 hours, which ensures the meat remains juicy.

The final step is to cook the meat on the grill, which can reach temperatures as high as 400 C, to get that charred outer layer that is essential to any good barbecue. Yang opts to burn apple wood to imbue the meat with a subtle flavor and fragrance.

Another menu favorite of Yang's creation is the cold-cut platter. It includes 20 different items, including Iberico ham and chorizo from Spain, prosciutto ham and salami from Italy, chicken liver mousse and olive salad. The plating resembles a miniature table of food from a renaissance painting.

Yang chose to use chicken liver to make the mousse as he thinks Chinese diners are more familiar with its flavor and he uses two different liquors to cook the liver. Passion fruit is used to coat the mousse, adding a sweet and sour flavor to the liver.

"I like to add some crispy textures into my dishes, so for the platter I add rice crisps and corn chips," says Yang.

For something a little heartier, the grilled beef and mushroom in risotto balls with spicy tomato sauce is arguably one of Yang's most delicious creations.

Equally, the grilled beef rib burger is as enjoyable to look at as it is to eat, as the burger contains a full rib on the bone, which is artfully removed by the server in front of the diners.

"Young diners like to have a sense of ceremony in their life, so the process of removing the bone provides the necessary flourish for them to fully enjoy the burger experience," says Yang.