Four Seasons Beijing-Bangkok four-hands

Four Seasons Hotel Beijing said on May 15 that its Cai Yi Xuan restaurant will host a two-night four-hands collaboration with Yu Ting Yuan at Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River on May 29 and 30. The event brings together Executive Chef Li Qiang in Beijing and Executive Chinese Chef Tommy Cheung from Bangkok for a menu built around seasonal Chinese ingredients and spring dishes, according to the hotel's press release. Four Seasons described both restaurants as Michelin-starred Chinese venues and said the dinners are part of its regional "Passages of Spring" campaign. ### Which hotel is actually hosting this dinner? Four Seasons Hotel Beijing is the confirmed host for the May 29-30 collaboration, according to the company's May 15 release and the Cai Yi Xuan restaurant page. The Beijing materials say Cheung will travel from Bangkok to join Li Qiang at Cai Yi Xuan, where reservations are being taken through the restaurant's online booking channel. (press.fourseasons.com) Cai Yi Xuan's page lists the event under its "Passages of Spring" programming and says guests can join the restaurant on May 29 and 30 for the appearance by Cheung from Yu Ting Yuan. Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok's site separately identifies Yu Ting Yuan as Cheung's restaurant and lists him as its executive chef. ### Who are the chefs, and what restaurants do they represent? (press.fourseasons.com) Li Qiang is chef de cuisine at Cai Yi Xuan in Beijing, where Four Seasons says he has more than 20 years of experience across Cantonese, Beijing, Tianjin and Teochew cooking styles. Tommy Cheung leads Yu Ting Yuan in Bangkok and previously worked at Hong Kong's two-Michelin-starred Yan Toh Heen and at Ya Ge in Taipei, according to the Bangkok restaurant page. (fourseasons.com) Four Seasons said the collaboration links Cai Yi Xuan and Yu Ting Yuan as two Michelin-starred Chinese restaurants. The broader "Passages of Spring" page also lists earlier chef exchanges across the brand's Chinese restaurants in Asia, including a Bangkok event on March 27-28 where Beijing's Chef Li joined Chef Cheung for what the company called a two-night spring dialogue. (fourseasons.com) ### What is on the menu in Beijing? The May 15 Beijing release lists a set of spring-focused dishes that combine ingredients and techniques from both kitchens. Four Seasons named dishes including marinated malantou with lily bulbs, water artemisia with baby whelks in sauce, Chinese toon with soy milk and drunken red shrimp, crispy tofu fish with peppercorn and spicy sauce, pan-fried fresh Chinese chives with seafood, and braised spring bamboo shoots with seafood stuffing in superior broth. (press.fourseasons.com) The dessert course, according to the same release, includes pandan lemongrass jelly and durian pastry. Four Seasons said the menu was designed to reflect ingredients "at their peak" and to show the character of spring through each course. ### Is there a Bangkok angle, or is this only a Beijing event? (press.fourseasons.com) Bangkok is part of the same campaign, but the newly announced dates that Four Seasons published on May 15 are in Beijing. The "Passages of Spring" page shows Yu Ting Yuan in Bangkok hosted its own two-night exchange with Li earlier in the season, on March 27 and 28, while the current release concerns Cheung's trip to Beijing at the end of May. (press.fourseasons.com) Yu Ting Yuan remains part of the wider seasonal dining push at Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River. Its restaurant page says the spring menu there was available through May 15, while the Beijing restaurant page says its spring programming runs through May 31. ### Where can diners book, and what happens next? (fourseasons.com) Four Seasons directs diners to reserve through Cai Yi Xuan's online reservations page and lists a Beijing contact number for the restaurant. The Bangkok restaurant page also maintains a separate reservation channel for Yu Ting Yuan, but the confirmed May 29-30 collaboration is scheduled for Beijing. (fourseasons.com) May 29 and 30 are the next named dates in the collaboration, with Li Qiang and Tommy Cheung cooking at Cai Yi Xuan inside Four Seasons Hotel Beijing. Four Seasons' campaign page says the broader "Passages of Spring" program ran from March 15 to May 15, while Cai Yi Xuan's event listing remains available through May 31. (press.fourseasons.com) (fourseasons.com)