Simple pleasures

Seabass morsels under spun sugar.[Photo provided to China Daily]

"The fish must be very fresh," says Yang.

The restaurant combines two popular ways of preparing roast duck. Closed ovens, where no flame touches the bird, are super tender thanks to the liquid inside the duck, while open ovens emphasize getting a crispy skin. By combining both, Yang says, "you can smell the fragrance of the meat as well as the skin when the platter arrives".

There are about 70 items on the menu, and the group's other two restaurants have virtually the same offerings, though the dining spaces are quite different. Customers at the China Central Mall location (Hua Mao) can also enjoy a short Peking Opera performance as they dine.

If you go

Beijing Banquet restaurant 5/F, 6 Xi Dawang Lu in the CBD, Chaoyang district, Beijing. 010-6816-5505.