Proper pub grub is hard to find in Beijing, so Will Yorke aims to fill that culinary gap by serving authentic, beer-battered fish and chips with mushy peas, Scotch eggs, pork pies and ploughman's lunches comprising crusty bread, cheddar cheese, chutney and piccalilli.
His first task, though, was to ensure that real ale was on tap at the Vine Leaf, a newly opened gastropub just off the capital's up-and-coming Wudaoying hutong (alleyway) that's home to scores of new bars, cafes and restaurants.
So far, the Surrey native is offering a draught range that has included Marston's Pedigree, produced in Burton-on-Trent, various ales made locally by an American brewmaster and, from last month, beer made on the premises.
The pub-brewed Northern Peace, described as an amber-coloured ale, sold briskly, prompting Yorke to continue experimenting. All are likely to pair well with the traditional English fare on offer such as steak and ale pie, scampi with tartare sauce, cottage pie, bangers (sausages) and mash and, of course, Britain's most popular dish, Indian-style curry.
The Vine Leaf has been heralded as the city's first gastropub, but Yorke downplays any gastronomic expectations, insisting he is just trying to produce simple dishes well, using fresh ingredients. That formula already worked effectively at his previous operation, the neighbouring Vineyard Cafe, which has a broader-based Western menu featuring burgers, pizzas, sandwiches and baked potatoes and serves around 200 people a day.
Yorke, 36, who studied Chinese and speaks the language fluently, is something of an accidental restaurateur, after previous careers as a software instructor, kung fu teacher, disc jockey and record company promoter. After answering a call for help at a restaurant run by a pal of his wife, Xu Duan, he discovered a natural talent for putting together menus, supervising chefs and organising staff.
'The food was dire, so we worked hard on the menu and turned it around,' he says. 'I expanded the pizza menu and added burgers and lasagne and baked potatoes. We thought we might as well carry on in the business now that we had got the ball rolling, so we looked around for our own premises. 'We settled on Wudaoying hutong for the Vineyard Cafe, which is fairly convenient to get to. Everyone thought we were mad and predicted we'd fail. But we were relatively young and prepared to work hard on the business.'