Howard's Gourmet (Beijing)

Chiuchow in Beijing: A Cuisine Practised Far From Its Source

Chaozhou cuisine, rendered in Cantonese as Chiuchow, and sometimes Teochew, originates from the coastal eastern corner of Guangdong province, where fishing culture, long-distance trade, and a preference for restraint over richness shaped a tradition quite distinct from the Cantonese mainstream. Preserved vegetables, slow-braised meats, cold crab, and clear broths define the register: a cooking style built on patience and precision rather than wok heat and sauce. To find that tradition practised at a serious critical level in Beijing, a city whose dining identity runs closer to northern wheat-based cooking, lamb, and imperial court cuisine, is to encounter something genuinely specific. Howard's Gourmet is one of the few kitchens in the capital where Chiuchow cooking is treated as a primary discipline rather than a menu addition.

The measure of Howard's Gourmet's position in Chinese fine dining comes most directly from its consecutive appearances on the Opinionated About Dining (OAD) Leading Restaurants in Asia list: ranked #107 in 2023 and #133 in 2024. OAD rankings are compiled from votes by a self-selecting pool of experienced diners and food professionals rather than anonymous inspectors, which makes them a different signal from Michelin, less about technical box-ticking, more about sustained enthusiasm among people who eat widely and critically across the region. A restaurant holding that position across two consecutive years, even with a modest shift in rank, is one that generates repeat attention rather than a single surge of interest.

Within Beijing's current fine dining map, the comparison set is instructive. Chao Shang Chao (Chaoyang) represents the Michelin three-star tier for Chao Zhou cuisine in the capital, operating at the ¥¥¥¥ price point with full inspector recognition. Xin Rong Ji (Xinyuan South Road) anchors the Taizhou end of coastal Chinese cooking at the same tier. Howard's Gourmet sits within this broader wave of southeastern Chinese regional cooking finding serious audiences in Beijing, though its critical recognition comes from the OAD route rather than the Michelin guide, a distinction worth understanding, since the two systems reward somewhat different things. See also our coverage of Jingji for Beijing's own two-star native cuisine, and Lamdre for the vegetarian fine dining side of the city's critical tier.

Across China, Chiuchow cooking at this level appears at a handful of addresses. Pak Loh Chiu Chow in Hong Kong remains among the most historically significant Chiuchow tables in the region. Chef Tam's Seasons in Macau and Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine in Guangzhou operate at comparable critical tiers within their respective cities.

What the OAD Signal Implies About the Experience

OAD-ranked restaurants in the Asia top 200 share certain consistent characteristics: booking difficulty that exceeds casual walk-in access, menus that change with supply and season rather than on a fixed print cycle, and a kitchen culture oriented toward the dining room rather than social media output. Howard's Gourmet's position in this list places it alongside addresses like 102 House in Shanghai, Ru Yuan in Hangzhou, and Xin Rong Ji in Chengdu, all of which share a profile of critical recognition that runs ahead of their general public visibility. That gap between industry esteem and tourist-facing profile is a defining trait of the OAD mid-tier: known deeply by the people who track this circuit, less prominent on general travel itineraries.

Chef Howard Cai's role at the kitchen provides the craft continuity that sustained OAD recognition requires, these rankings depend on consistent execution across multiple visits by multiple diners, not a single exceptional meal. The Chiuchow tradition he works within demands technical patience: the gelatinous braise, the careful temperature management of cold dishes, the precision of a cuisine that uses restraint as its primary aesthetic tool. That discipline is what separates a serious Chiuchow specialist from a restaurant that offers a few Chaozhou dishes on a broader menu. For context on what that level of sustained critical attention looks like at a different price point and cuisine entirely, the OAD-and-Michelin-decorated Le Bernardin in New York City shows how industry recognition compounds over time when kitchen consistency is genuinely maintained.

Beijing's Regional Chinese Dining Scene: The Broader Frame

Beijing's restaurant culture has shifted considerably over the past decade. The city's own culinary tradition, heavy, flour-forward, rooted in court cooking and northern peasant staples, remains present, but the more critically active tier of the dining scene is increasingly shaped by transplanted regional specialists: Cantonese, Taizhou, Sichuan, and now Chiuchow kitchens operating at investment levels that would have seemed unusual for regional Chinese cuisine in the capital fifteen years ago. This mirrors a pattern visible in other major Chinese cities, where economic mobility and a growing appetite for regional specificity have created space for transplanted traditions to attract serious critical attention. King's Joy represents another dimension of this, a vegetarian table that draws as much critical attention as many meat-forward addresses. The full picture of where Howard's Gourmet fits within the city's dining options is covered in our full Beijing restaurants guide.

Planning a Visit

Given its OAD profile, advance planning is advisable rather than a walk-in approach. For visitors building a broader Beijing itinerary, our Beijing hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide cover the full range of the city's premium options. Those specifically interested in the regional Chinese dining circuit should also consider Dai Yuet Heen in Nanjing as part of a wider itinerary across eastern China.