China’s first Monsieur Dior restaurant is located in the “Maison Dior” at the northern section of Sanlitun Taikoo Li in Beijing. This is not merely a restaurant, but an art sanctuary paying tribute to the founder of the brand, Monsieur Christian Dior, as a gourmand. The building was designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate Christian de Portzamparc. Its facade consists of 14 “petal-like” pointed arch structures nearly 20 meters high, with flowing lines resembling a haute couture gown frozen in mid-air.
Step into the restaurant on the basement level. Inside the bright and airy space, floral-patterned seats and vintage black-and-white photographs create an elegant and warm atmosphere. The soul of the restaurant is female head chef Anne-Sophie Pic. As the most Michelin-starred female chef in the world, she infuses “the spirit of haute couture” into her cooking. Her core philosophy is “sensory cooking” – pursuing a deep fusion of texture, color, and flavor.
“Embroidery” is the chef’s tribute to the Dior haute couture ateliers. The name directly echoes the painstaking hand-embroidery of haute couture fashion – those beaded and sequined details that take hundreds of hours to complete – transformed by Chef Pic into an exquisite composition on the plate.
The chef uses shredded cuttlefish to provide a chewy, textural base, paired with scallops from Normandy for their natural sweetness. The combination of these two seafood ingredients itself embodies the finesse of “embroidery” – the thinness of the cuttlefish shreds like silk threads, the plumpness of the scallops like beads. The finishing touch is the caviar that dots the dish, adding a layer of briny, luxurious umami.
“Le Junon” (The Layering) is the star main course of the restaurant. Its name, Le Junon, comes from a classic evening gown by Monsieur Dior – the layers of ruffles that unfold on the skirt of that dress gave it unparalleled magnificence and romance.
This dish reinterprets a French classic with a modern approach: between two slices of Australian M5 wagyu beef, a piece of rich foie gras is inserted, seared to a perfect medium-rare. On the palate, the slight smoky char of the wagyu’s exterior and the silky, rich foie gras in the center slowly melt, layer upon layer. Accompanying it with the fragrant aroma of black truffle, every bite is distinct and complex.
“Houndstooth” transforms – in the most direct yet ingenious way – one of the Dior brand’s most iconic motifs into a flavor on the plate. Houndstooth was created by Monsieur Dior in 1948 by deconstructing and reinterpreting the traditional Scottish shepherd’s check, and has since become a symbol of the brand across fashion. In this dessert, Chef Pic makes this classic pattern truly “edible.”
Crispy, layered sheets of mille-feuille pastry present a delicate texture like fabric, echoing the geometric beauty of houndstooth. Paired with the aroma of vanilla cream and the refreshing sweetness of jasmine jelly, the overall taste is sweet but not cloying. The lightness and crunch of the pastry and the silky smoothness of the cream intertwine on the tongue, delivering a richly layered taste experience.
