Visiting chef talks of Michelin stars and modern cuisine

As we nibble deliciously tender loin of lamb - stuffed and breaded, then prettily tucked in leaves of savory cabbage - we ask visiting Italian chef Damiano Nigro about his restaurant's Michelin star.

Is it such a big deal in Europe nowadays?

"Of course," he says, adding that business has doubled at the Villa d'Amelia in Italy's beautiful Piedmont region since the star was awarded.

China's seeming obsession with Michelin-rated chefs, heightened by the new guide for Shanghai, is relatively new, but on the continent where the guide began more than a century ago, star awareness remains strong.

Nigro's success may be due to the "modern traditionalist" approach he brings this week to Beijing, where he's doing a guest-chef stint for five days at TRB-Bites. "We still love the traditional flavors of our regional cuisine," he says, "but the old ways of cooking are too heavy for today's tastes." The modern approach is healthier, he says: "More vegetables, less fat, flavors that are clean and fresh."

While some visiting chefs pack an insulated suitcase full of their preferred produce, Nigro felt no need to do that. The TRB restaurant group's well-regarded European kitchen has established sources, and he simplified his menu a bit to avoid the need for lengthy plating rehearsals in his host kitchen.

"I pretty much came straight from the airport to the restaurant," he says with a grin.

Presentation is a practiced art here already, and the Bites kitchen is rolling out Nigro creations like braised octopus glazed with teriyaki, dumpling ravioli a la carbonara, Piedmont Tajarin pasta sauteed with lobster, and soft beef cheek cooked in Barolo wine.

Served daily through Sunday, the four-course lunch menu is 480 yuan ($69) and a five-course dinner set is 680 yuan plus 10-percent service charge - quite a bargain since the price includes an elegant wine pairing.

When Nigro returns to Italy next week, he will re-join his kitchen team's pursuit of a second Michelin star.

Does he have any advice for restaurants in China doing the same?

"To get a Michelin star in the first place, you have to be doing your very best quality every day," he says. "That's really all you can do."

If you go

Special menu through Sunday, lunch and dinner; 95 Donghuamen at east gate of Forbidden City, Dongcheng district, Beijing. 010-6401-6676.