Where tradition meets innovation - for dinner

Shi Wang Fu (The Imperial Residence of Food) is the newest venture of the centuries' old Quan Ju De Group - and is one that embodies contemporary innovations on the company's traditional modus operandi.

Since its September trial opening, the upscale establishment has scored high marks on ambience.

Not only dishes but also lampshades in the banquet hall are fashioned from blue and white porcelain.

Six of the 10 private rooms are decorated according to styles that hail back to the heydays of ancient Chinese capitals. The theme is clinched by paintings of iconic landscapes and lovely ladies from those cities.

One room has a massive roundtable that seats 20, while another is decorated according to contemporary Western style, replete with high-backed chairs and abstract oil paintings.

Meals in these rooms cost about 800 yuan ($126) a person.

The splendor of the food matches that of the decor.

Shi Wang Fu proffers traditional Beijing dim sum with such fillings as yellow pea jelly and red bean paste.

Boneless duck web (pictured above) is a signature starter.

Mains include dry-fried pork balls, dry-braised pork with bamboo shoots, kung pao prawns and stone-braised fish.

While this eatery creates new takes on the Quan Ju De Group's longstanding mission for tradition, one thing remains unchanged - the roast duck is as delicious as ever.