Chkmeruli.[Photo by Dong Fangyu/China Daily]

Exotic was what I expected, and exotic was what I got: Wooden beams, red brick arched-door, wide windows, chandeliers made from antlers mounted on the wall, and oil paintings of Georgian scenery that made me feel as though I was stepping into an unknown world in which I would be regaled with the heartiest fare.

We were introduced to the chef, the amicable Neli Tomaradze, 57, who told us that she hails from Tbilisi. Things were becoming more exotic by the minute. The restaurant manager, Muhammet Annayev, a Russian, was on hand to interpret from Russian to Chinese as we chatted with Tomaradze, who speaks both Georgian and Russian, but neither English nor Chinese. (So the answer to question two: In Georgia they speak Georgian and Russian.)

If you must know the answer to question one, the country should not to be mistaken with the US state referred to in that jazz-soul classic Georgia on My Mind, but a small, former Soviet country located at the eastern end of the Black Sea, a geographical meeting point for Asian, Persian, Arab and European cultures, especially the Silk Road regions. Its food draws inspiration from a kaleidoscope of flavors among different cultures.