Best Bites of Beijing (Dec 30 - Jan 5)

Best Bites of Beijing is published on Fridays and covers the latest happenings in the capital's dining scene. Here you will find weekly updates of new restaurants, seasonal menus, good deals and trends for the foodie in you. For comments or recommendations, email jiangwj@chinadaily.com.cn.

[Photos by Jiang Wanjuan/chinadaily.com.cn]

Chicken baked on pink Himalayan mineral rock salt

It never occurred to me that yanjuji, literally translated as salt baked chicken, is supposed to be baked on salt before it's served, as is done in the traditional Cantonese way.

I happened to see this process in the open kitchen at Yue, the Chinese restaurant at Sheraton Grand Beijing Dongcheng Hotel, where I was interviewing the executive chef Cheng Chi Keung on an unreleated topic.

The cooked chicken is wrapped in paper and kept warm on the pink Himalayan mineral rock salt, which is supposed to give the chicken a strong and balanced salty taste.

This is one of the two new street-style Cantonese dishes (the other being beef brisket in clear broth) which Chef Cheng wanted to use to introduce his childhood flavors. Try the salt baked chicken at 108 yuan ($15) for a half.

Yue, Sheraton Grand Beijing Dongcheng Hotel

36 North Third Ring Road East, Dongcheng district, Beijing (010 5798 8888)