just desserts
GUILTY PLEASURES BY BRIAN MCKENNA A SWEET DEAL AT HATSUNE
I
n terms of collaborations between titans of the Beijing food and beverage scene, it doesn’t get much bigger than Hatsune and Brian McKenna. After 14 years of serving hoards of Beijing sushi fans, Hatsune have turned to master of the kitchen Brian McKenna to design their very first dessert menu. The desserts blend elements of Hatsune’s Japanese aesthetic with McKenna’s signature playful, modern presentation. For example, the fruity bubble tea dessert (RMB 58) comes in a Hatsune-branded plastic cup, with a stick of lemongrass candy replacing the straw, while a matcha (Japanese powdered green tea) “Tiramisune” (RMB 58) (see what they did there?) is served in a traditional Japanese sake box. While I am personally not a big fan of matcha, the tiramisu has an admittedly great balance of flavor
with an incredibly smooth texture. However, my favorite of the desserts was the white chocolate tofu (RMB 48), a perfect fusion of East and West. With a perfect wobble, the likes of which we last encountered in Fiume’s panna cotta, the lightly sweet chocolate flavor of the tofu is complemented by crunchy coffee-flavored crumbs and slightly sour kiwi. You may not usually consider dessert when dining out on Japanese cuisine, but with these dishes Hatsune and Brian McKenna are definitely raising the bar. Robynne Tindall Brian McKenna’s desserts are available at all three branches of Hatsune – Sanlitun Taikoo Li, Kerry Centre, and Guanghua Lu. Also keep a look out for Hatsune’s secret off-menu items, which you can follow on lumdimsum.com.
photo: ken
WHITE CHOCOLATE TOFU
46
june 2015