A gathering of gourmets

Marcel Greenberg, a longtime member of Chaine des Rotisseurs, toasts fellow guests. Photo by Mike Peters / China Daily

"It is a chance to enjoy good food, good company and good conversation in a leisurely way."

The good company is generally by invitation and rather select.

"Our members are invited by two existing members and usually will join our dinners a few times prior to applying to our brotherhood," says Muller. "To become a member, we charge 3,800 yuan ($623) for the first year. This includes the ribbon and certificate which will be sent from Paris."

The annual member fee in Beijing drops to 1,500 yuan in subsequent years, and each wine-paired dinner costs 1,150 yuan per person.

Muller notes that the cost of membership varies by country and sometimes even by city, though the percentage paid to the headquarters in Paris stays fixed. Many members are both well-heeled and well-traveled, making a point of attending Chaine dinners in other cities which they frequent.

This night deservedly belonged to Block, whose color-themed menu began with red: A foie gras terrine, with beetroot, raspberries and pickled red onion, served with a crisp Loosen Dr L Riesling 2011 from Germany's Mosel region.

An orange course was next: A cream of pickled carrots soup, centered with a slab of citrus-cured salmon and aromatics. The wine, if you're taking notes (and this was one of the evening's best vintages), was Trimbach Gewurztraminer 2007, from Alsace in France. Semi-floral and not quite as sweet as I expected, it beautifully supported but didn't overpower the savory dish.

The "green" plate was pan-fried diver scallop served with a lobster and spinach terrine, green peas and asparagus. The wine pairing: Montes Limited Sauvignon Blanc 2010, from the Leyda Valley in Chile.

The yellow course was a palate cleanser, passion fruit sorbet served in a glass boat and topped with a crystalline "sail" of sugar and a coup de grace of lemon powder.

That set up the menu's star course in brown: Australian Wagyu beef, cauliflower soubise and quinoa, a tantalizing mix of flavors and textures pulled together with earthy pours of Joseph Moda Primo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, from the McLaren Valley of Australia.

If the dessert course was the fussiest, it was also the most fun — a purple fantasy of lavender macaroon, cherry coral cake, grape and blueberry sorbet, made all the sweeter by Stoney Ridge Vidal Ice Wine 2007, from Niagara, Canada. Epatant!

Each dish was as pretty as the inevitable pictures that were taken, but never got too precious. The chef's grand art never included foam posing as food. Dining with a group that's perpetually in pursuit of a superb meal, one could expect no less.

Contact the writer at michaelpeters@chinadaily.com.cn.