Our trip to Yangzhou was to come to a finale with a dinner at the century-old former residence of one of the richest salt merchants in the Qing Dynasty.
It would be easy to dismiss Greyhound Cafe as amusing but mildly pretentious, a place where beautiful people come to nibble at dishes that are just as glamorous.
It is spring, and time to give yourself a boost of energy. That's why Grange Grill at The Westin Beijing Chaoyang offers a special oyster menu for the months of March and April.
Xinjishi, the old brand-name restaurant that serves classic Shanghai cuisine at the city's hot spot Xintiandi, is still as much a crowd favorite as ever.
Imagine being presented a plate with a long, rectangular brick of fudge topped with paper-thin slices of sugar-glazed apple. But as you lift a first fork to your face, your nose tells you that it's not fudge at all. It's richer. Thicker. Earthier. More cloying. More inspiring.
The pungent scent of foie gras and pork belly mingled with the strong odor of mustard greens one chilly winter evening in the dining room of a restaurant basking in its Michelin star.
Among the vast number of restaurant kitchens in Beijing, there are the quiet achievers who are slowly making a name for themselves through steady hard work and outstanding quality.
Kaorou Ji, known as Ji's Grilled Lamb Restaurant, is near Shichahai Lake's famed Yinding Bridge and dates back to 1848, when the lake had a pier that connected to Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.