A Decade in Sushi: Hatsune Turns Ten Tonight

This evening, Hatsune hits a milestone achieved by very few non-Chinese restaurants in Beijing, as it celebrates its tenth anniversary. The original branch opened on Guanghua Lu in the fall of 2001, and was pretty much an instant success. In the ten years that have passed, Hatsune has gone from strength to strength, winning awards all over the place and opening a second branch in the heart of Sanlitun Village. For all the details on the party and a few anniversary party survival tips, read on.

The party starts at 10pm and goes on until 1am (at least), with Patrick Yu DJing, food and drinks, and "fat suit" sumo wrestling among the draws. The winners of Hatsune's sushi roll-naming competition will also be announced at some point during the proceedings. Dress code is "anything goes as long as it's Japanese," so get your samurai robes, salary man suit or Shibuya robo-punk outfit ready. If you didn't pick up an advance ticket, tickets are RMB 150 at the door - I expect it will get very busy, so get down there early to avoid disappointment.

Two things to be aware of if you are going: First, there's usually plenty to drink at a Hatsune party, so be prepared for a fun night. Second, don't come expecting a meal just because it's a party in a Japanese restaurant. There will be sushi and finger food, but there will also be lots of fingers grabbing the food. Top tip for the shameless: hang around the entrance in/out of the kitchen and get ready to snag your sushi the moment a waiter emerges with a fresh tray.

If you haven't already checked out our recent "Last Orders" interview with Hatsune owner Alan Wong, click here to find out how he'd enjoy his final meal in Beijing. And if you're there on Thursday, make sure you raise a glass to a Beijing institution's decade at the top. From all at the Beijinger, a very happy tenth birthday to Hatsune.

As a special treat for those of you who've been around as long as Hatsune (or longer), we asked Alan Wong to dig into the Hatsune archives and pull out some photos from the early days, all the way back in 2001 ...