Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman have eaten there; so too have Bill Gates, Mick Jagger and Jackie Chan, not to mention the many ambassadors, heads of state and tycoons who smile from the pages of three enormous photo albums at Li Jia Cai.

Hidden down a peaceful hutong not far from Houhai, this unique restaurant has just one room, one table and serves one party a night.

Li Aiyin, general manager of Li Family Cuisine, says her restaurant emphasizes nutrition and compatibility of different dishes. [Feng Yongbin/China Daily]

 

Set menus range from 230 to 2,000 yuan ($30 to $290) per person and are a combination of secret family recipes, traditional Chinese medicine and daughter Lili's culinary acumen.

Following Lili's victory in a National Day banquet contest in 1984, the family converted their home into a restaurant the following year and opened Li Jia Cai, or the Li Family Cuisine.

The idea to just have one room was simply due to limited space and resources, said General Manager Li Aiyin, Lili's elder sister.

"When we opened the restaurant we all lived here. We also needed to guarantee the quality of the food we served wouldn't be compromised. Since none of us had business experience, we decided to stick to one room and see what happened."

For the past 24 years, Li Jia Cai has relied not on professional chefs, but cooks the family train to use the secret recipes of Lili's great-great grandfather, who was a government counsel to Empress Dowager Cixi during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

"Li Family Cuisine is not the original Chinese aristocratic cuisine because you can't find the exact same ingredients they used then. But the dishes we serve are close," said Li.

As the family profession has typically been traditional Chinese medicine, Li said they place a lot of emphasis on the nutrition and compatibility of different foods.

"Tofu should not be cooked with spinach, for example, because it can lead to kidney stones. Shark fin is best cooked with chicken or duck stock, which enhances cancer-fighting properties," she explained.

"Every dish has its own attributes and character and should bring out the best qualities of others."

When asked what she considers the Li specialty, Li takes no time to respond with "wrapped pork joint".

"This dish takes six hours to prepare. First, the chef boils it and cuts it into pieces. Then it is deep fried and steamed several times," she said.

After this, the joint turns a golden yellow. It is served with only soy sauce, and is so tender and succulent it dissolves on the tongue.

The vegetarian salad, tossed with a light sesame oil and parsley, merges the natural sweet flavors of thinly sliced carrot, watercress and bamboo with the subtle flavor of sesame.

However, the fried prawns wrapped in egg, a Qing Dynasty specialty, were disappointingly dry and flavorless.

While some dishes are more of an education in Chinese culinary history than mind-blowing, much of the fun comes from the stories about the celebrities who have tasted them.

"Bill Gates and his wife ordered the set meal that was 300 yuan per person," Li said of the world's richest couple, who visited in 1994.

"My father didn't like him and did not take a photo with him. He (Gates) invited lots of fortunetellers and asked to be told his fortune.

"Since my father was an engineer and a man of science, he thought people like him should not believe such things."

Today, Li Jia Cai has not only grown into a celebrity dining spot, but an empire, with restaurants in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Tokyo and Melbourne.

As well as the home-oriented and holistic philosophy behind its dishes, much of its allure has to do with the feel of the place, which is surprisingly no-frills despite the high-profile clientele.

As it only serves one meal per day, reservations must be made in advance. But Li assures that everyone is welcome to take a seat at the Li family's table.

Li Jia Cai

11 Yangfang Hutong, Denei Dajie, Xicheng district

Tel.: 66180107

Fax.: 66137509