New Menu at Beyond Yakitori Moves Beyond Grilled Chicken With Creative Appetizers and Side Dishes

The chopstick sleeves at Beyond Yakitori say "if there's a will, there's a way" and if owner Chris Niu's will is to make the Topwin-based venue one of Beijing's more interesting restaurants then he has certainly found a way to do it. We have been impressed by Beyond Yakitori's creative take on a traditional yakitori bar since it opened in summer 2016 and now it has reaffirmed its place in our hearts with the launch of a new menu. 

The term yakitori technically refers to grilled chicken (or, more broadly, grilled skewers) but that's where the "beyond" part of the name "Beyond Yakitori" comes in, as many of the best new dishes on the menu feature neither chicken nor skewers. In fact, beef was the star ingredient of many of the dishes we tried. Take, for example, the beef tartare, which skilfully incorporates strident Asian flavors – secret recipe barbecue sauce, kimchi, shichimi tōgarashi – into this classic French dish. It's not all beef; the salmon carpaccio features large pieces of sushi-grade salmon dressed with lemon, extra virgin olive oil, and, unusually, a hint of whiskey, which adds a smokey edge. 

These new tapas-style dishes don't quite steal the show, however, as the skewers are still outstanding. Beef also makes an appearance here in the form of a grilled fillet skewer topped with piquant yuzu pepper paste. The chicken skewers, a mainstay of the menu since the beginning, have kept their form, the high-quality chicken cuts lent a smokey edge by the binchōtan charcoal used for the grill, which has the advantage of burning for a long time at a high temperature. Try the chicken neck, which is at once tender and crunchy, with charred edges from the grill. 

Chris is not only a whizz in the kitchen, he is also a friendly, enthusiastic host, skimming about the dining room explaining the menu and offering suggestions for sake pairings (many of which are sourced during his frequent research trips to Japan). This enthusiasm has clearly rubbed off on the rest of the staff, making for an all-around enjoyable dining experience. 

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Photos: Robynne Tindall, Kyle Mullin