Chef Benoit Chargy's new menu invites sharing plates, like this short rib on the bone. Photos Provided To China Daily

Though Beijing's Waldorf Astoria is a fairly new kid on the capital block, it too claims a century of tradition from its famous New York forbear. Waldorf salad and red-velvet cake were born in its kitchens. US President Harry Truman favored sipping its classic bourbon old-fashioned, and the Peacock Alley bar created a special cocktail for Marilyn Monroe.

In the Beijing venue, chef Benoit Chargy has shaken up the menu at Brasserie 1893. The goal: enhance the French dining experience with less formality but a key tradition - sharing. Signature plates designed for two or more include starters of poached octopus marinated in lemon garlic, baby vegetables prepared Provence-style, and a salad of fresh pear and assorted nuts with a light yogurt-herb dressing.

Soup, of course, is served individually - at our tasting, it was a conversation-stopping green apple and pea, with sliced Iberian ham and coconut foam. Next came an equally delectable hot appetizer: blue lobster and scallop ravioli, with peach coulis and chervil foam.