Chinese food and winea considered meal at Lychee.

Lychee cuts its Argentinian beef fillet thick before stir-frying it in a hot pan. A specially prepared black pepper sauce coats the meat with a gloss. The cut of beef and the way the sauce clings to it give this familiar dish its character.

Large salt-and-pepper prawns have a crisp exterior and a tender centre. Typhoon-shelter prawns add the fragrance of garlic. In both, timing matters: the outside needs to develop flavour while the flesh retains its moisture.

Hunan-style beef uses a cut with some fat and a mixture of small chillies. Colour is not the only consideration: if the red chillies are not fresh enough, another colour takes their place. The quality of the ingredient comes before a fixed appearance.

Sichuan-style octopus is dressed in a house-made mouthwatering sauce with a little sweetness and heat. Steamed sea bass, sweet-and-sour ribs and red-braised pork bring more familiar dishes to the menu.

Wine is an important part of a meal here. German whites, particularly Riesling, have a place in the selection, and discussing your tastes can lead to comparing different wines. A previous spring asparagus menu suggested a wine for each dish. There is also a separate tea list.

Tasting menus follow seasonal ingredients or a particular theme, bringing dishes and wines together and sometimes extending the pairing to dessert. Dates, dishes and wines vary, so check the current programme when planning a visit.

Handmade xue mei niang wraps mango and yoghurt in a thin, soft skin. Twenty can take three hours to make, and finding suitable air-freighted mangoes can mean visiting four or five shops. Wine-poached pear and mango-sago desserts also appear in particular menus; ask about the current selection and advance orders.

The care extends to smaller things: white radish as an appetiser, the size and quality of grapes, tablecloths and glassware. These details make a family dinner or a meal with friends feel personally considered.

Allow time for the dishes and wine, and arrange a special dessert in advance if it is part of your plans. At Lychee, the care put into ingredients and the individual elements of a meal is best enjoyed without rushing.