The new set menu also gives the piecemeal selection a run for its money — the lunch set menu now runs 198 yuan and dinner is set at 228 yuan per person through Feb 28.

Ferri's culinary philosophy is to be an explorer of the seasonality in food, he said, radiating the passionate characteristic of Italy.

He used to make special trips to receive culinary training under famous Michelin-star chefs, including Heinz Beck (executive chef at La Pergola for 23 years, the only 3-star restaurant in Rome), Takagi Kazuo (founder of two-star Kazuo Restaurant), and Ferra Adria (executive chef at elBulli, the legendary restaurant that topped The World's 50 Best Restaurants list for five consecutive years).