On March 19th we reported that the “FOR RENT” sign on The Rickshaw had been taken down. Not much happened for a couple of months, and then last week scaffolding went up. There’s been plenty of speculation as to who is taking over the enviable spot on Sanlitun Nanlu. Some said it was the Lush / Pyro Pizza guys’ new Californian pizzeria; others that it might be Constellation, a Shanghai cocktail bar set to open soon. But we are pretty convinced (despite no official confirmation) that it will be SALT moving in.

Lido stalwart SALT have added a rather special luxury beer - Estrella Inedit - to their menu, created by El Bulli maestro Ferran Adria. Enjoy this beer (specially made to pair with food) for RMB 128 a bottle on SALT’s terrace when it opens May 20. Even more exciting is the recent cryptic announcement of Gaby’s new secret “Sanlitun project” to open June 8 – the blog title was a bit of a tease - we’ll keep you posted as soon as we get more info!

At 6pm Sunday night, there was a crowd of people waiting on Sanlitun Nanlu, watching as the finishing touches were being made to TERRA, the new cocktail bar/cevicheria opened by Gaby Alves, owner of the popular SALT in Lido. Once the doors opened, a flood of people swarmed in for TERRA's opening party. The space was formerly occupied by Rickshaw, and the construction on TERRA over the last few months has been a cause of much speculation.

Last December, we reported on the problems and subsequent closure of Aqua in Ch’ienmen 23. Today we received word via Chef Jordi Valles’s Facebook page that Aqua is preparing to re-open on the fourth floor of Nali Patio in Sanlitun.

This is welcome news for the many Beijing foodies who voted for Agua in Beijing’s various and sundry annual restaurant awards, and it is a fitting addition to a location already filled with some of the finest Spanish themed venues – including Spanish Deli Taste Spain, and tapas restaurants Carmen and Niajo – in the city.

The new restaurant from the people behind SALT will be called - and in similar block capitals - TERRA. If you know your Latin, you'll recognize the name as meaning "earth," but in fact SALT's press release tells us the new restaurant, on the former site of the Rickshaw, will have a strong seafood flavor. Half of the menu will be ceviche dishes - seafood flavored with citrus fruits. The 70-seater restaurant will have a ceviche bar on the ground level, with the main restaurant and bar area upstairs. Here's what they're telling us:

"TERRA’s open Cevicheria presents a delectable array of the ages-old South American culinary style that involves lightening-fast preparation of fresh seafood, ingredients of the earth and sea splashes of citrus, the combination of which demands an exacting balance of acidity, full-flavours and super-fresh ingredients."