Italian chef at Sheraton Beijing cooks with gusto

There was once a time when finding decent Italian cuisine in Beijing could cause a headache. Fortunately this is no longer the case. Beijing's Italian food scene has dramatically improved of late and no more so than at restaurant Bene in the Sheraton Beijing Dongcheng Hotel. New Chef Francesco Sanna from Sardinia in south Italy has over 10 years cooking experience and has added his own personal touch to the menu at Bene, which was updated in May. Passionate and confident about every dish he makes, Sanna has combined his own understanding of Italian food with guests' preferences. Despite being miles away from home, he still insists on using fresh ingredients, which he regards as the core element of good food. "Italian people like to cook with seasonal and local ingredients for the freshness," he said.

Like other sophisticated chefs, Sanna is not afraid of experimenting. One signature dish on the new menu is his "New Age" pizza. The pizza fuses different flavors from all across Italy. One side of it contains buffalo milk mozzarella and tomato, which is a common appetizer in Italy. The other side has veal chop on it, a popular bite in Rome. It also has Bolognese sauce on top, just to give it that extra authentic Italian flavor. In Sanna's words, one bite of the pizza is a bite of all Italian flavors combined.

If you are a big fan of rice, then the seasonal risotto with asparagus is the one for you. With all ingredients directly imported from Italy, this dish has a delightful fresh taste. Apart from the risotto, the seafood antipasti is a non-fussy dish that serves to highlight the quality of the produce. Finally, meat lovers can opt for the braised veal.

For modern Beijingers, service and atmosphere are now becoming just as important as food. On top of attentive staff, Bene has recently been redecorated and is a very pleasant place to spend a few hours in. There is a lovely garden at the back of the restaurant, where people can enjoy a few moments of calm away from the hectic city. The restaurant itself has also been decorated with bottles of wine and olive oils transported from Italy. Through the combination of great Italian food and décor, one can easily forget that they are in China and think they are in a restaurant tucked down a cobbled street in Rome.