JIN Japanese Restaurant seats just 20-plus people, but a recent tasting at the restaurant near Wangfujing Bookstore was a rare treat, thanks to a young, talented chef.

The tasting started with an appetizer that had six tastes. It comprised a soft, smooth cake made of egg and truffles, an angler fish liver more tender than bean curd, crunchy yam with pieces of glutinous octopus, a flavorsome marinated sea snail, and a cup of slippery seaweed, and konjac. Better still, the starter was natural and original.

The mushrooms that followed were slightly grilled in a salad of organic vegetables, all from approved organic food suppliers. The salad was a little more flavorful and the saltiness was perfect.

Grilled codfish with soy sauce was a tasty winner, followed by a stunning sashimi platter featuring four ingredients. Oily squid and red sea bream are imported from Nagasaki, Japan. They are among the best I have ever tasted, probably because they only arrived the previous day.

The yellow tail and scallop in the sashimi were from Dalian and Fujian, but also tasted super fresh.

Wasabi at the restaurant is fresh, but stronger than those found elsewhere. The secret of that enhanced power comes from mashed turnip in the wasabi, according to the chef.

The feast went on with a Sri Lanka shrimp tempura, which was tender, although a piece of basil in it was fried and a bit too oily. The most valuable food item was served next, a blue shrimp sashimi that is usually served to the Brunei royal family, and which has ISO 22000 quality recognition.

Another treat was the restaurant's futomaki sushi roll, with nine ingredients. It was wonderful to have the fresh foodstuffs interact with one's taste buds. The dinner was finished with a tasty bowl of ramen and great-tasting pork stripes, a half marinated egg, and lip-smacking soup boiled out of pork bones for two days.

The restaurant is small but cozy. The public area has a sushi bar where one can see the chef at work. Average cost is above 300 yuan. The chef is a Chinese who learned his skills in Japan. His goal is to make the best, but not the most expensive, Japanese food in Beijing. The restaurant now offers a 12 percent discount, as well as a weekend buffet at 288 yuan per person, until the end of September.

Daily 11:30 am-2:30 pm, 5:30-10 pm. 218-2 West annexed building of Oriental Square, at the back of Wangfujing Bookstore, Dongdan Santiao, east of Wangfujing Pedestrian Street, next to the police station of Oriental Plaza, Beijing. Tel: (010) 5715-2268