Green mussels today,surprises tomorrow

In addition to seafood dishes, this kitchen serves up a seriously spicy hot dog.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Other dining options include local clams, hand-cut truffle fries, and a roasted-corn salad that was the surprise hit at our table. There is Balinese-style seabass on a stick, redolent with lemongrass, turmeric and spicy sambal. If someone in the party is not a seafood fan, there is a hot dog that may be Beijing's best, with a spicy edge on a house-baked bun. The bar offers smart cocktail options, very drinkable vintages from the Southern Hemisphere and Jing-A craft beer from just down the street.

Mighty Mo's will be serving up shellfish until June, says Hatchery's concept manager John Johnson, a British expat.

What's next? We'll have to wait and see. A lunch concept is coming soon; meanwhile, dining service is evenings only, six days a week. Local cocktail maestro Sami Mersel recently spent a week in the bar introducing Diplomatico rum from Venezuela. Big Bear baker Jonathan Ellis is ensconced in one kitchen area, and his cookies are the foundation of Mighty Mo's killer ice-cream sandwiches.

Elsewhere in the kitchen, Hatchery partner and fitness coach Garry Wang will be churning out healthy takeaway meals as part of his other business, Living Bigg.

What the team has trademarked as the HatchTrack, says Johnson, is a development process where "entrepreneurs develop a business proposal, and then get access to Hatchery and venue partners where they can test and adapt their ideas". They can also start growing a customer base.

That's where the rest of us come in, knives and forks at the ready.

If you go

Mighty Mo's Mussels and Beer Bar

6 pm till late; closed Tuesday. The Hatchery, 1/F, Saga Hotel, 12 Nongzhanguan Nanli, Chaoyang district. WeChat hatcheryasia; 010-6594-0188.