King of the Court: Brian McKenna @ The CourtYard

Is it possible to do molecular gastronomy without being pretentious? Based on the foam-flavored smoke and nitrogen-flash frozen flambé nonsense that prevails, it may seem not. A lot of people in the industry got so carried away trying to be Ferran Adrià or Heston Blumenthal that they didn’t get the basics down first. It’s the culinary equivalent of practicing for the All-Star weekend dunk contest at basketball tryouts or trying to knock a man out at your first boxing practice. But Brian McKenna, a man who knows his way around a ring as well as a kitchen, has learned the ropes and can deliver knockout blows. By taking stewardship of The Courtyard – already a storied restaurant – he’s just raised the bar for Beijing dining.

Yes, the food is all very clever and involves equipment and techniques more akin to a laboratory than your own kitchen but it’s just so damn enjoyable. Consider the following dishes from the six-course set menu (RMB 588, with wine RMB 888): Garden Salad involves herb “soil,” blue potato “pebbles,” and a mini rake and shovel to get it to your plate; Beef & Bone serves braised meat and smoked and crispy marrow in the hollowed-out bone they came from; the signature dessert involves a chocolate terracotta warrior with a gooey orange center kneeling on a bed of chocolate soil. This is the food of a man falling in love with cooking again.

Modest to the last, McKenna says, “These are normal flavors – it’s chocolate and orange. I’m not doing anything new.” We’re inclined to disagree. Nothing is being reinvented but everything has been re-imagined wholesale. Book a table and enjoy the show.

Also try: Da Dong, Temple Restaurant Beijing, Maison Boulud

Brian McKenna @ The CourtYard: Daily 6pm-10pm (restaurant), 5-11pm (bar & lounge). 95 Donghuamen Dajie (north of Donghuamen parking lot at the Forbidden City), Dongcheng District (6526 8883) 东城区东华门大街95号 (故宫东华门停车场北面)

By subway: 900m north of Tiananmen East station (Line 1)

This article originally appeared on page 22 in the March issue of the Beijinger.

Photos: Sui, Iain Shaw