Back in August, when we heard that Gaby Alves and Vivi Goncalves, the founders and co-managers of the award-winning restaurant Alameda, were selling their shares and venturing into a new culinary project, we felt butterflies in our stomachs. Was this to be the de facto end of one of Beijing’s most beloved international eateries?

Fortunately, our fears were allayed with news that they were to open a new restaurant, and now, after four months of preparation, they are finally ready to open their next culinary establishment: SALT.

“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.

Located on the first floor of Trio on Jiangtai Xilu, the 260-sqm venue will feature an open kitchen and bar that can be seen from all areas of the restaurant. “We decided on a place like the Lido because it’s accessible to both people from downtown and Shunyi,” says Gaby.

And while the details of the menu have yet to be set, she adds that SALT will serve “contemporary cuisine,” which translates as “fresh ingredients, art in taste” – a concept that will allow diners and chefs (including Venezuelan chef Daniel Urdaneta) alike will be able to explore wild salts of the world through their dishes. “We will do our best to bring wild salts from Vietnam, Senegal and other parts of the world,” Gaby explains. Indeed as we spoke, her partner and restaurant consultant Vivi Goncalves was in Brazil, having spent the past few months traveling to different parts of the world, including Spain, Mexico and Greece, on a culinary quest to find new ingredients and inspiration for the menu.

So get those taste buds ready, SALT opens on November 28 – and be sure to check out the January issue for our full writeup.