One of the highlights was the butterflied prawns which were served raw before being grilled with a thick topping of hot and sizzling pink Himalayan sea salt and a sprinkling of lemon leaves, resulting in a sweet and subtle umami flavor.

Another impressive dish was the apple wood roasted jue ma wild pork from Northwest China. The rare pigs, which mostly live on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and other parts of Gansu province, are fed with jue ma (potentilla anserine), a type of herbal plant that it is named after.

The well-marbled pork is slow cooked over apple wood for eight hours before being sous vide, then thinly sliced and blowtorched in front of customers.

"We realized that, Qu Lang Yuan, as a public place, should carry more functions to serve the public in the limited space. That's why we decided to become a new gourmet spot," says Xue.

"We wish to involve this historic building in the realms of food, drink and art. The gourmet dining experience would attract a new range of customers, in turn elevating the whole space."