Duck breast roasted with honey, served with baked potato, broccoli and almond slices.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Like at the other "stops" on Tavola's Italian gourmet tour, each lasting a few weeks, the Venice set menu includes one glass of regional wine, in this case either the red wine Cecilia Beretta Bardolino Classico DOC or the sparkling white Bisol prosecco, for 398 yuan ($61).

While Portaluppi has worked at posh eateries such as Michelin-starred Al Geno-vese in Milan and the Hotel Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in Sardinia, he applies the same attention to detail whether he is making an elegant cod platter or a "simple" pizza.

"We have a real wood-fired oven that uses real apricot tree wood," he told the Beijinger magazine during that publication's Pizza Cup competition last year. "We use typical Italian flour, imported from Italy. We use canned tomato imported from Italy, the same as what is used in many restaurants there. And we dress our pizzas with oil, salt, pepper and oregano, just like in Italy."