24 | Friday, December 20, 2019 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY LIFE

Eat beat

Christmas with a festive Cru Reach for the stars As one of the few local chefs listed in this year’s Michelin Guide Beijing, Li Dong is relishing the recognition as much as the chance to build on his success, Li Yingxue reports.

he Michelin Man finally cooked,” Li explains. landed in Beijing on Nov Collaboration is another way for Cru restaurant launched a special 28, dishing out 27 stars to Li to gain new inspiration and try menu for Christmas Eve filled 23 restaurants across the different combinations of flavors to with festive fare. The dinner Tcapital, covering not only Beijing create dishes. starts with fresh Gillardeau oys­ and Cantonese cuisine, but also Last year, to celebrate the fifth ters from France, and turkey with European food. anniversary of Jing Yaa Tang, Li chestnut stuffing. The main Invited to attend a news confer­ worked with the Jing A Brewery to course choices include Australian ence, Jing Yaa Tang’s chef Li Dong launch a 10­dish snack menu to pair grain fed rib­eye steak and baked was one of the few locals on the list with 12 craft beers. whole Maine lobster which is of chefs awarded a Michelin star in From spicy pig’s trotter to Sich­ tender and tasty. There’s a Christ­ this year’s Michelin Guide Beijing. uan­style spicy noodles with shred­ mas pudding with vanilla ice “There are only a few types of ded chicken, Li paired the beer with cream to finish on a sweet note. northern cuisine in the Michelin dishes that highlighted each other’s No 83 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang Guide Beijing, which means as local flavors. district, Beijing. 010­5908­8530. Beijing chefs, we need to keep This summer, Li created an entire improving ourselves,” Li says. menu to pair with craft beers for A naughty list, but Born and raised in Beijing, Li fol­ Great Leap Brewing. lowed in the footsteps of his chef He paired his roast duck dish with very nice grandfather. From childhood, Li Rebellious General IPA, presenting joined his family in trying different the perfect combination of juicy local restaurants — something of a duck with the bold scent of hops to luxury 40 years ago. There is pressure to create a lasting taste in the mouth. After graduating from middle Their Mojiang Purple Rice Lager, school, he studied at a culinary keep the star, but it’s which is made with black rice and school and became a chef two years also motivation for us hops from Qingdao in Shandong later. province, has a sweet flavor which Li The 45­year­old has seen his to offer better dishes pairs with a dish of steamed rice The Atrium, an upscale 70th­floor career evolve over three phases. The and service to our with morel mushrooms wrapped in lounge with 270­degree views of first phase covers his first job at a a lotus leaf to deliver a satisfying the Guangzhou skyline, launched hotel that lasted seven years, where diners.” combination of flavors. a deluxe festive afternoon tea, he grew from knowing nothing to Li Dong, executive chef at Jing “Beer is actually a common tipple which is available until Jan 1. Pas­ mastering every basic cooking skill. Yaa Tang in China, yet pairing craft beer with try chef Mak Keng Seng presents The second phase was when he Chinese cuisine is something quite a variety of festive sweets from worked as an executive chef at experimental for diners both in Chi­ around the world, such as tradi­ another five­star hotel for nine he adds Chinese dates into his spe­ na and in the rest of the world,” Li tional German­style stollen, Ital­ years, where he continued to hone cial sauce. says. ian chocolate pannacotta and his culinary skills and learned more The pancakes are handmade In June, Li worked with Xu Cun­ French­style opera cake. about kitchen management. in­house and are rolled out two at a gui, chef at the Mixun Teahouse in No 5 Zhujiang West Road, Tianhe “The third phase began when I time and then steamed in batches of Chengdu, to find inspiration for his district, Guangzhou, Guangdong was invited to become the executive 10. vegetarian dishes. province. 020­8883­3888. chef at Jing Yaa Tang in preparation Both the ducks and the sauces are “I spent a week in Chengdu and for its opening,” Li says. “It was in placed on calabash­shaped plates. realized that the culinary scene A Gouda time to get this latest phase of my career where Diners can watch the whole process there is quite different from my last I tried to develop my own style.” from the roasting to the slicing and visit 10 years ago, and I learned warm in winter Jing Yaa Tang first opened its plating as part of the show put on by much more about Sichuan cuisine doors in 2013, and soon became a the chefs. during the trip,” Li says. favorite in the capital for its Peking Li likes to study traditional dishes Li often leads his team of chefs on roast duck and authentic regional that are rare to find. “For many of culinary field trips around China. For takes on Chinese cuisine. the old dishes, there are only a few the autumn hairy crab season, their From the restaurant’s opening records left in existence, but the voyage saw them sail from the Bohai menu to the most recent seasonal recipes can be as short as a few Sea down to the southeast coast of crab menu, each one was created by words. To replicate a dish takes a lot China, where they developed a new Li, featuring poetic names he of time­consuming research and menu composed of old favorites and Italian cuisine restaurant Tavola devised for the dishes. experimentation,” Li says. refreshingly innovative flavors. revealed a new set lunch menu Roast duck is one of Li’s signature He also believes the flavors of He says his dishes come from all Jing Yaa Tang restaurant is well known in Beijing for its Peking for the winter season. A duck dishes and is cooked in the tradi­ these original dishes can be adapted across China, from traditional Can­ roast duck and authentic regional takes on Chinese cuisine. Li breast carpaccio with pink grape­ tional way in a wood­fired oven. to the tastes of contemporary din­ tonese dim sum to classic Sichuan Dong, its executive chef, has developed the menu from traditional fruit, cauliflower cream and wal­ Li is strict about each step of mak­ ers. He once studied a recipe for spicy dishes, so that his diners can dishes and adapted them to the tastes of contemporary diners. nuts offers a colorful start and a ing this classic Beijing dish, starting marinated duck feet which had enjoy a comprehensive Chinese eat­ PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY hearty pasta dish of fusilli with with the source — each duck has to been lost for decades. The original ing experience. pumpkin puree, pine nuts and be between 40 and 45 days old and version used raw marinated duck According to the Michelin Guide Gouda cheese is a perfect winter weigh between 2 to 2.5 kilograms. feet, but Li updated the dish by boil­ Beijing, Jing Yaa Tang’s “menu show­ ticularly happy”. “There is pressure to keep the star, warmer. Neapolitan­style wood­ “If the ducks are too small, they ing them before they were marinat­ cases dishes from various provinces, Li says winning the star not only but it’s also motivation for us to offer fired pizzas should not be missed. won’t have enough fat. If they are ed, deboned and steamed. and you can even watch your Peking offered him recognition for his better dishes and service to our din­ 2F No 19 Dongfang East Road, too old, the meat starts to become “There were no details about how duck browning in the wood­fired efforts, but also encouraged his ers,” he says. Chaoyang district, Beijing. chewy,” Li says. to steam the duck feet, so I used a oven. The floral scent from lotus root entire kitchen staff, from the chefs 010­8532­5068. Li uses jujube wood to roast the low heat rather than the usual high stuffed with glutinous rice and the to the service team, to work even Contact the writer at duck, and to complement the flavor, heat because they were already silky red bean soup make diners par­ harder. [email protected] Jingle Bells, Singapore’s the way Spanish wine warms snowy solar term repast

By LI YINGXUE Lyv pairs the platter with a fresh and fruity Lustau En Rama Manza­ Tease by Creature S launched a It has almost become a tradition nilla 2019 which is delivered directly Southeast Asian­style Christmas that, for each of the 24 Chinese solar to China after bottling. dinner in a Beijing hutong. Sea­ terms, Da Dong restaurant hosts a “The order for Western cuisine soned with fish sauce, fresh lime special dinner that delivers an artis­ dishes is from light flavor to heavy, so juice and topped with grated tic conception of Chinese cuisine. we can pair the wines following the coconut relish, the pumpkin soup To celebrate the 21st solar term, same rule. However, the flavors of takes diners to Singapore, as does “heavy snow”, which began on Dec 7, Chinese cuisine are more complicat­ the turkey, which is marinated Da Dong provided something a little ed, so sometimes we need to find a Left: Da Dong roast duck is the signature dish of the restaurant. Right: Da Dong presents a feast with mixed herbs, lime leaves different. Dong Zhenxiang, founder wine that is suitable for a number of combining Chinese cuisine and Spanish wine to celebrate the 21st Chinese solar term, “heavy snow”. and Southeast Asian spices. and chef of Dadong joined forces different flavor profiles,” Lyv explains. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY No 15 Baishu Hutong, Dongcheng with Lyv Yang, the only Chinese per­ “This wine can extend the flavor district, Beijing. 010­8635­5376. son who has passed the exam of of the mustard and also highlight Master Sommelier, to present a feast the freshness of the cabbage and the don’t need any sauce to pair with it, half prior to service. The fruity aro­ with refined and complicated aro­ Maki performs a combining Chinese cuisine and sweetness of the ribs,” he says. as the duck was roasted with lemon­ ma and rich tannin of the red wine ma to match. Spanish wine. For the foamed cuttlefish roe grass. It’s more suitable for wine adds a silky elegance to the duck. “It was the first time we have tried leading roll The dinner was held at Da Dong soup, Lyv chooses a La Solucio Rosa pairing than any other previous ver­ Dong finishes the dinner with a to pair our special solar term menu Nanxincang branch in Beijing on 2017 which is made with six differ­ sion,” he says. beautifully presented chocolate with Spanish wines, and it has Dec 13. ent grapes and fermented with nat­ Lyv selected Spanish vintner Alva­ dessert, aptly named “frost”, which shown that there is more possibility The festive repast started with ural yeast. ro Palacios’s work, a large bottle of pays homage to the “heavy snow” for combining Chinese cuisine with saipangxie, which literally means Fellow dinner guest, Ma Huiqing, L’Ermita 2015 to accompany the fea­ solar term. To accompany the icy­ wine from overseas. We are looking “imitation of crabs”. It is a tradition­ a professor of wine appreciation at tured fowl. To reach its optimal state, looking tableau of chocolate and forward to trying this again in the al dish in which ginger and vinegar the College of Horticulture, China the wine was decanted an hour and a berries, Lyv deploys a 52­year wine future,” Dong says. are added to stir­fried egg whites to Agricultural University, found the produce a similar taste to that of pairings to be quite interesting. The Maki is a Japanese restaurant crab meat. “Both the soup and the wine have in Beijing focusing only on hand­ Dong’s version is to elevate it their own personalities, and when rolled sushi. The trick to it is the through the use of lobster soup and they combine together it’s very nori, which is just 0.2 millimeters stir­fried egg whites with a topping tasty,” Ma says. thick. The chef must make the rolls of truffle to lift the taste. Lyv pairs The highlight of the dinner is, of with his hands at the temperature the Westernized dish with a white course, the Da Dong roast duck. Dong of 36 C, and diners are encouraged wine, adding a sophisticated air to offers the 4.0 version to the diners. to finish their rolls as quickly as the rich flavor. “The 1.0 version is regular roast possible to enjoy them at their Dong offers a platter of cold dish­ duck, and the 2.0 version is our sub­ best. From scallop to sea eel, there es — traditionally prepared duck uni duck — which means that it’s is a wide selection of fillings. feet with yellow mustard dressing, crisp but not greasy. We have created No 209 Ciyunsi Beili, Chaoyang sweet and sour pork ribs, Beijing­ smaller subuni roast duck which uses district, Beijing. style pickled vegetables and pickled 22­day­old birds,” Dong explains. CHINA DAILY cabbage in spicy and mustard flavor. “As for today’s 4.0 version, we