Fine Danish dining in China's capital

The newly opened Danish restaurant The Georg offers not only a fine-dining experience but also a gallery that showcases crafts of the century-old Georg Jensen brand.

Danish architect Peter Bundgaard Rutzou has created a cozy dining room adjacent to a two-story atrium. Chef Talib Hudda's cuisine is billed as New Nordic, though manager Stefano Censi says many dishes are somewhere between traditional Danish and the molecular flights of fancy made famous by restaurants like Noma. Each dish is presented like the work of art that it is, "food where produce gets to speak its mind and the craft of the chef is apparent," as the restaurant's website says.

That sounds like the stylish dining experience could be stiff and formal, but the reality is the opposite. Curved leather-upholstered banquettes are as inviting as your Danish granny, and the Jensen-designed silverware that gleams from every direction－a fixture in every Danish bride's trousseau－shares a sense of belonging with everyone at the table. Wineglasses from Austria's Zalto, a glassmaking dynasty for six generations, are so exquisitely thin and delicate we had a momentary sense they were props, but we quickly adjusted to their fine balance and lightness of being.

The restaurant abandons the format of a menu divided into starters, salads and mains. Every dish is 130 yuan ($20), allowing diners to mix and match. You can also let the kitchen team put together a chef's special－a selection of dishes for 450 yuan. Wine pairing ("Our roots lay deep in Burgundy, but extend all around the world") is offered for an additional 450 yuan.

Every dinner starts with a basket of flaxseed crispbreads and yoghurt dip.