[Photo/China Daily]

At Shangri-La Beijing's Stay French restaurant, the air is steaming up with the fragrance of a truffle scented artichoke soup. This elegant starter distills the best flavors of the season into a single bowl and is very typical of Yannick Alleno's cooking philosophy - that of good food in a comfortable ambience. Made with pureed artichoke hearts, top stock from chicken and fresh cream, the soup is then garnished with 20 g of black truffles, shave just before serving.

Shangri-La Hotel, Beijing, 29, Zizhuyuan Road, Haidian district, Beijing. 010-6841-2211.