Meet the new kids on Beijing's culinary block

Diners at Beijing's hottest new Chinese restaurant, Country Kitchen, would search in vain for any of the usual clichéd hotel-restaurant leitmotifs - there is a total absence of red in the pillars, lanterns, dragons and tablecloths.

Designers at the Beijing Rosewood hotel's restaurant eschewed the elaborately ornate approach, opting for a stripped-down look with lots of wood, in keeping with the theme of northern China home-style dining.

The result is a hotel restaurant like no other in Beijing, partly because of the comfortable decor and expertly executed comfort food, but also because it offers a stunning view of the kooky CCTV tower, located just across the highway.

Diners can opt for an inside or terrace table as they tuck into specials such as Peking duck, roasted fatty pork served in buns, northern-style spicy noodles, Beijing-style stir-fried cabbage, slow-roasted Mongolian lamb and village-style steamed tofu. The meats, vegetables and eggs are, wherever possible, sourced from local organic farms; the house draft beer is provided by Slow Boat, a local craft brewery.

"The cuisine style will be Western-oriented, but it does not have strict boundaries and will try to incorporate many local Chinese elements into it," says Belgian proprietor Ignace Lecleir. "We wish to pay homage to the historical and cultural sites we are in close proximity to, as well as the richness and abundance of local products."

Sourcing top-notch produce is a professional passion for chef Max Levy. The Mississippi native, who trained in Japanese cuisine, has an ardent following among Beijing foodies, who have ensured his new venture, Okra 1949, is busy every night with customers keen to sample the "sushi, sake and cocktails". Levy is due to open a restaurant shortly in Hong Kong.