The sprawling Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (BDA) in Yizhuang, a suburb in southeastern Beijing, is an emphatic symbol of China's innovation efforts.

But besides hosting a slew of companies from high-tech industries, the zone is also home to the flagship outlet of Iki.

What Iki sells is not cutting-edge software, bio medical solutions or electronic devices－it is barbequed meats.

And the restaurant's new location could not be more befitting. After all, innovation is the name of the game here. Innovation is also what has made Iki such a crowd favorite that customers must at times wait for hours before they can get a seat.

"We are empowered by innovation. This has been our slogan for the past eight years," says Lawrence Liu, the chef-owner of Iki. "Although it sounds kind of like an IT slogan, that's what we strive to achieve here."