Ours of Meaty Fun

Like handlebar moustaches and the Catholic priesthood, grilling meat is a men-only pursuit. Disagree? On two visits to this new Japanese/Korean restaurant, I clocked only Chinese Y-chromosomes. The men were merrily barbecuing slabs of attractively marbled beef whilst regaling their white-collar chums with tales of golfing prowess.

Meat can be ordered by the cut or in sets (RMB 118-128) that include beef short rib, tenderloin, chicken thighs and pork belly, but real men no doubt flip to the menu section titled “Tongue Zone” to choose between “superior tongue,” “selected tongue,” and less appetizingly, “onion tongue.” Eww. A whole chopped-up squid was a bargain at RMB 20, and scallops (RMB 18 for two) came raw on the half-shell with a knob of butter that melted into the translucent flesh as they cooked. The seafood barbecue set (RMB 218) included razor clams and conch, and the mouth-tingling teriyaki chicken (RMB 35) was perfect with a frothy mug of draft Asahi beer (RMB 20).

Ours’ interior is black and moody, dominated by extraction vents that dangle over tables like fireman’s hoses. An army of servers in red neckerchiefs do the shout-andanswer thing, which, though a growing affliction in Beijing, doesn’t detract too much from what is a slick operation. If meat is your manna, this restaurant strikes a good balance between quality and value, but, frankly, you won’t stay long. Why? Seat cushions are angled in such a way that you’re perpetually being tipped off like an unwanted cat. Shoo.

Standout dishes: Beef short ribs, squid

Also try: Kagen, Ai Jiang Shan

Ours 我们的日式烧肉屋 Daily 11am-10pm. 6 Haoyun Jie, 1-5 Chaoyang Gongyuan Lu, Chaoyang District (5867 0206, 5246 6252) 朝阳区朝阳公园路1-5号好运街6号

Click here to see the January issue of the Beijinger in full.

Photo: Judy Zhou