When it comes to spending more to get less, Japanese cuisine is second only to designer underwear and private universities. So it’s with some trepidation that we venture to the newly opened Xue Wei, a twelve-seat tempura bar sandwiched between the brightly lit store fronts of Hong Jie. Would it fall victim to the Japanese fine dining surcharge or be able to both delight and satiate our hunger?

As we take our seats at the curved bar, the bespectacled chef is already hard at work preparing our first course; he glances up to welcome us but it’s clear he only has eyes for the caldron of oil that has begun to simmer with ripples of heat. The handwritten daily menu offers two sets: both feature the same number of dishes, with the choice cuts and special seasonal ingredients being reserved for the top option. The menu also offers a selection of a la carte add-ons, including a prized musk melon that’s on special during our visit for 200 RMB a slice. We opt for a tall bottle of Asahi instead. After a bowl of roasted eel and soy gelatin, a plate of fluke sashimi arrives. Garnished with a few slices of tenderised spinal tissue that outshines the choicer cuts with its chewy texture and deep-ocean flavour, the fish goes down well with freshly grated wasabi.

For the tempura, we begin with a pair of young sweet prawns, just barely cooked through they arrive golden from their moment in the hot oil, creamy goodness still intact. A fat glob of bright orange sea urchin, sandwiched between two shiso leaves, gives way to a diver scallop. Prized imported shitake, giant asparagus and a seasonal treat, white fish fry, continue the procession, one at a time. The flavours are wonderfully enhanced by the thin coating of batter that contains the natural moisture through the brief time in the oil. Our main course, a cluster of sweet shrimps over rice, and the dessert, chilled sweetened red bean, come and go without a word.

Xue Wei is a worthy example of high tempura, but if you’re hungry and not made of money, it’s not necessarily worthy of splashing out on.

Address: 109, Block 2, Hong Jie, Gongti Dong Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区工体东路丙2 号一层109

Source: timeoutbeijing.com