Western Star

Braised spinach with wolfberry and broth.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Back at our table, a series of dishes arrives: a stir-fried chicken presented in a "horn of plenty", wok-fried prawns Sichuan style (the province with the fiery palate is not so far away), and braised spinach with wolfberry and broth. Then the lamb arrives, fragrant and steaming ribs as well as slices for wrapping in delicate pancakes a la Peking duck.

We would have been content to sit back and relax at that point, sipping the last of a pleasant burgundy. But that would have meant missing chef Wong's special dessert: goji chocolate cake made from famous West Lake Longjing tea, fresh milk chocolate and the "super food" known as goji berry.

Yinchuan is a top producer of this healthful fruit, credited with improving the body's reaction to stress, strengthening the immune system, enhancing memory and assuring healthy skin. The accompanying fruit plate also includes two kinds of fresh Chinese dates, known in the West as jujubes, which were gloriously sweet in Ningxia during our late-fall visit.

If you go

Zhong (Chinese Restaurant)

In Kempinski Hotel Yinchuan, 160 Beijing Middle Road, Yinchuan. 951-516-5888.