Course 1 Cold dishes, including a spiral of squid mousse and seaweed, blanched shrimp and asparagus, poached chicken with ginger sauce, and pickled daikon rolled around shredded carrot.

Course 2 Platter of sweets. The most traditional of the court dishes at Chili House, these sweets include cubes of mung-bean paste, flaky wheat pastry with toasted sesame paste and mochi rolled around red-bean paste in a traditional scepter (ruyi) shape.

Course 3 Strips of bitter melon served over crushed ice with an apple cider-honey glaze. The course illustrates a Chinese proverb: “Bitter before the sweet.”

Course 4 Soup of winter squash, corn and scallops in a young coconut shell.

Course 5 Braised baby spareribs with mint.

Course 6 Peking duck with steamed pancakes. According to Wang, Peking duck was originally a court dish introduced during the Ming Dynasty.

Course 7 Crab-avocado pastries and large prawns, glazed with horseradish mayonnaise. The platter illustrates a Chinese proverb: “The battalions of shrimp face off against Commander Crab.”

Course 8 Four-happiness dumplings. Traditionally, the four happinesses are getting married, moving into a new house, getting a promotion, and living a long life.

Course 9 Beijing-style pot stickers filled with pork and served with black vinegar.

Course 10 Braised and fried lamb rib coated in cumin and chiles, a popular Muslim street food in Beijing.

Course 11 Beijing-style shao mai, a cousin to the dim sun favorite siu mai; these are filled with pork, whose juices pool in the bottom of the dumpling.

Course 12 Baby meatballs with baby spinach.

Course 13 Grass carp, fried “chrysanthemum” style, coated at the table with a sweet and sour sauce. The name of the fish is echoed in the presentation, with chive greens that resemble grass.

Course 14 Tiny pastry chicks filled with red bean paste. The egg is edible, too.