Beyond the virtual

Benlai Cookhouse has access to the freshest meats and products sourced at home and abroad. [Photo by Feng Yongbin/China Daily]

My favorite dish that day was the little yellow pumpkin soup with vegetable crisp-bread. The soup was milky and golden, with a sweet and inviting flavor.

Guo says the soup is made without spices. He chooses a ripe little yellow pumpkin, allowing it to sunbathe for several days to harden it -until he cannot pinch off the skin. He fries the chopped pumpkin with onions, mash-es it all with water and milk, then boils the mixture before serving.

The crispbread had different layers: At first bite, the texture was hard and crisp, and then it quickly melted in the mouth. It was also very tasty when soaked in the soup for a bit.

A delicious beefsteak, my main course, did not let me down, either. Guo says it was made from top-quality Australian tenderloin, and I enjoyed its moist, soft and chewy texture.

The steak was served with foie gras and two kinds of salt: black volcanic salt and smoked sea salt. The restaurant has collected about 100 kinds of salt, because Guo likes to experiment with flavors.