Grilled gingko [Photo provided to China Daily]

He once even owned a Japanese cuisine buffet restaurant.

During a recent visit to Taiwan, when he visited light-meal Japanese eateries there, he felt that the Chinese might just take better to Taiwan-style Japanese cuisine as compared to traditional Japanese food, which favors sweetness in its dishes.

So, he shut the buffet restaurant and opened Manbo, offering Beijing's diners a different take on Japanese food.

Speaking about Japanese food in Beijing, he says, most Japanese restaurants here offer either authentic Japanese cuisine, or food with an American twist, but Taiwan-style fare is relatively rare.

Qin also says that Taiwan-style Japanese food uses locally sourced ingredients and Chinese seasonings, and is not that sweet.

Another reason Qin moved away from the old-format Japanese restaurants is the change in the city's dining habits.