Kong Yiji makes quite an impression as you step through the arched gate, over the curved bridge and along the stream that runs under the pavilions in the middle of the restaurant. It’s a serene and elegant setting reminiscent of small canal towns of the Jiangnan region and a world away from the countrified of the restaurant’s old incarnation in Houhai.

Kong Yiji has not only changed image, but also the menu – from humble origins to a classy and distinctive style. Professional dietician and restaurant owner Michael Chen, says the new dishes retain traditional cooking styles and taste while sticking to the basic ingredients: salt, sugar, sesame oil and no MSG. He recommends jiaxing cui huya, Jiaxing crispy duck, (55RMB), which is marinated for three hours in a mixture of juices from no less than 10 vegetables so that it has a balanced taste that does not allow strong flavours such as celery or carrot from dominating. The duck is then hung to dry for another ten hours before being baked. It is served with specially made condiments such as garlic, pickled cucumber, bean paste, sugar, and fruit. Pancakes are made with a mixture of wheat flour, cornmeal, potatoes and spinach juice, which adds fibre and vitamins.

Kumquat with shrimp – an avant-garde combination of western presentation and Chinese taste – goes on the menu in May and June when the fruits are in season. Since Kong Yiji's cooking hails from Shaoxing WHERE IS THIS????, a town renowned for its yellow wine and preserved mustard greens, try some of their signature dishes such as zao ji, ‘drunken chicken’ (28RMB), ‘zao xiang daiyu’, drunken fish (26RMB) or meicai menrou, braised fatty pork with preserved vegetables (35RMB).

Of course, no one should miss out on the huixiang dou, fennel-flavored broad beans, (5RMB). This cold appetiser was one of the few dishes that Kong Yiji, the hero of the Lu Xun short story for which this restaurant is named, could afford at the tavern. Stir-fried spiral snails with chives (28RMB) and braised fresh bamboo (28RMB) are typical Zhejiang dishes. Go native and order a basket of stinky beancurd (12RMB), and down it with half catty of Shaoxing wine (30RMB). The wine is served in a tin wine vessel. Pour some wine into a jar that sits in a porcelain bottle filled with hot water to keep the content warm and drink the wine from the porcelain lid that turns into a cup.

8 Chaoyang Park Road, Chaoyang district (tel 6508 2228) Open 11am-10pm. Meal for two 150-200RMB

孔已己 朝阳区朝阳公园西门8号公馆内右侧