The Beginning

Richard and Winnie’s birthplace is a scenic harbour city on the Shandong Peninsula, about 540km southeast of Beijing. More than 7.5 million people call the Qingdao (pronounced “chING-dow”) region home, with almost three million living in the city itself.

Five main rivers feed the lush coastal plain, and three mountain ranges, often snow-capped, line the tip of the peninsula to the northeast, with the picturesque Laoshan rising to 1133m, the tallest peak on the Chinese seaboard.

Today, the port of Qingdao is one of the largest and busiest in China, and hosted the sailing events of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

‘Shandong’ Style

For more than 2,000 years, the dynastic capitals of the ‘Middle Kingdom’ have been in the north of the country and, thus, the cuisine of the Shandong Peninsula, southeast of Beijing, has become recognised as the ‘official cuisine’ of China.

Traditionally utilising such Confucian principles as balance, moderation, presentation and good nutrition, the ‘Shandong style’ makes greater use of fresh ingredients and seafoods, with lighter tastes than the heavy sauces and flavourings of ‘Westernised’ Cantonese cooking from southern China.

Shandong techniques are rigidly passed down by Master Chefs to their disciples over many years’ training, and Richard’s customers have long savoured the benefits of his 25 years’ experience at the five-star Beijing International Hotel.

Cooking Principles

All of our ingredients and dishes are prepared fresh every day—the only frozen food is our deep-fried ice cream desserts (and you really have to dine-in with us to try those!). In fact, for some special dishes—like certain fish or our famous seafood dishes—it is a good idea to give us 24 hours’ notice if you can, when you make a booking, so we can order in and specially prepare for you!

We use NO MSG in our cooking, and we are happy to adjust any of our dishes to suit special dietary needs on request, if you can’t find what you are looking for in our extensive menu. GLUTEN-FREE dishes can be specially prepared on request, too. 

Remember, also, that Richard’s ‘sizzling’ dishes really only sizzle when you dine in!