A matter of taste sets menu apart

Chef experiments with ingredients to deliver plates of creativity, Li Yingxue reports.

At the age of 6, Zhang Zhicheng crafted his first-ever plate of fried rice; by 19, he was running a newly opened restaurant.

At 24, he became head chef of a private kitchen, Yanjintang, where his reputation in Beijing's culinary circles soared. At 28, he went to Macao to take charge of the two-star Michelin restaurant Golden Flower.

Zhang, a native of Beijing, is affectionately known as "Little Fatty" by patrons and colleagues alike. Despite his youthful age of 30, his professional journey already boasts a prolific tapestry of accomplishments.