Taste of the Aegean

A Greek mechanical engineer has established his own art house and restaurant in one of Beijing's most popular art districts, 798. Aged 52, Manos Pazianos has stayed in China for 6 years because of his love of Chinese culture and its people.

His Aegean Art House (爱琴海艺术空间) takes up two spacious floors on a three-floor building in the 798 art space. The restaurant is decorated in typically Greek style: white walls, and blue tables. Decoration is simple and space plentiful, to allow a lot of mobility for artistic or business activities.

There are paintings of famous scenic spots lining the walls, by professor John Battis, a Greek artist with the Boston Art Academy. On one of the tables is a bust of Alexander the Great. One can also find some books and magazines about Greece.

The chef is Chinese, but Manos Pazianos has spent a lot of time and effort making sure the food tastes authentically Greek. There is no salt or vinegar in the Greek salad, to keep it fresh and original, although salt can be added if you wish. Fasolada, the bean soup, uses fresh tomatoes. The cheese and spinach pies are made of Greek feta cheese. The roast lamb leg takes 90 minutes to prepare so it must be ordered in advance. It arrives with a big plate of potatoes and is a traditional dish for a Greek feast - enough for four to six people.

Besides these foods there are Greek pizzas, souvlaki, moussaka, fresh beef with eggplant, grilled fish, souzoukakia, fresh beef in tomato, fresh octopus, grilled pork with olive oil and oregano. The perfect accompaniment, of course, is a glass of ouzo.

There is also Chinese wine and soft drinks. The average bill is around 150 yuan per person. There is also free wifi.

9:30am-9:30pm. Qixing Dongjie, 789 Art Space, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang district. 5978-9915. 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798艺术空间,七星东街