When smelly is good

One man's food is another man's poison. Many people consider douzhi'er, fermented bean juice, as Beijing's most typical traditional drink. But consumers hold radically different opinions about it.

"A non-local customer once approached me, and asked softly:'Has your drink gone bad?'" recalls Liu Chunping, manager of Jin Xin Douzhi'er Restaurant. The Muslim shop always has a long line of customers on weekends.

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Meat matters

Summer means it's time to get dinner from the grill. Ye Jun explores restaurants that get fired up for the season.

One of the best things hot summers have to offer is an outdoor barbecue, a cool way to spend dinnertime with a few friends, over beers and roasted meat. The Garden Court at St. Regis has the advantages of a green garden view and a complete set of BBQ equipment. The fresh ingredients trigger appetites at once - fresh beef, lobster, silvery pomfret, oyster and prawn.

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Trifles with truffles

Chef Umberto Bombana's magical mushroom creations give glow to his three Michelin stars. Mike Peters takes the taste test.

It's round and black and big as a bowling ball - at 620 grams it looms like the mother of all fungi.

Chef Umberto Bombana carries the massive specimen of Milano sporum, or black winter truffle, out of the kitchen on a silver platter. Other vegetables on the tray are mere mortals in this company.

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Cafe with a mission

You could be forgiven for wondering what Matteo Ricci might make of his namesake cafe. It's hip and Italianate, which might be appreciated by the 17th century Jesuit missionary who was described by one of the cafe executives at the November 2011 opening as, "a total bad ass".

"He loved China, was an erudite linguist, and was so respected that he was granted an advisory position in the imperial court," Ryan Wedeking, marketing vice-president, continued.

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Related: Food Streets in Beijing