It's appropriate that King’s Joy’s perch is close to Beijing’s still active Lama Temple, because chef Pan Jianjun is a former Buddhist disciple from a monastery in Jiangxi province.

His menu is a meat-free nirvana, using ingredients from organic farms around Beijing, and with a focus on nutrition and health as well as achieving a rarefied balance of taste, texture and looks.

Chef’s sautéed matsutake mushrooms with asparagus and gingko, eaten al fresco in King’s Joy’s idyllic courtyard, will convince even the most hardened carnivore.

Address: 2 Wudaoying Hutong, Yonghegong, Dongcheng District

Tel: +86 (10) 5217 1900

Source: travel.cnn.com