A researched professional record. Inclusion does not confirm representation, availability or interest in a new project.
At a glance
Lamdre is a plant-based restaurant in Beijing’s Sanlitun area, owned by Zhao Jia with the kitchen led by Dai Jun. Chinese regional ingredients and inherited cooking methods shape a seasonal tasting menu. The quiet, naturally lit setting is part of a proposition built around attention to plants and their origins.[1]
Cooking & identity
Dai brings Cantonese and Chaozhou training to a vegetable kitchen. Sourcing from growers, research into less familiar plants, tea or wine pairing and the treatment of ingredients through cooking are useful ways into the restaurant’s approach.[1] [2]
The restaurant’s stated philosophy
Paraphrased from the restaurant, its group or a named chef’s statement.
In his MICHELIN Mindful Voices statement, Dai describes an all-plant menu built with local ingredients and long-term relationships with farmers. Native plants are intended to express regional food culture alongside traditional techniques.
The same statement describes fermenting kitchen waste for enzyme preparations and garden compost, and supporting rural education. These practices form part of the chef’s own account of the restaurant.
[2]Why this profile is included
A guide-recognised Beijing plant-based restaurant with a named chef, documented methods and a December 2025 collaboration with Chef Tam’s Seasons. Plant-based identity, personal mentorship recognition and restaurant rankings are recorded separately.[1] [3]
Independent observations
ChefsLanding · · Editorial commentary on the public record
Fine-dining vegetables can be made to wear a very expensive evening dress. Lamdre is interesting for a more demanding proposition: let the plant, its origin and its treatment supply the substance. A carrot does not acquire a philosophy merely because it has arrived on porcelain.
We follow the documented attention to farmers, ingredients and technique. Seasonal sourcing gives that attention something concrete to do. The useful question is what a plant-based kitchen discovers that a luxury menu would otherwise miss; the bill alone is a rather poor answer.
Recent developments
- 2026-10
The 2027 Beijing–Tianjin release retains Lamdre at two stars and names Dai Jun as Mentor Chef Award recipient; the latter is a personal award.[3]
Collaborations & guest appearances
1 collaboration project · 1 within the two-year research window
Projects are deduplicated: multiple nights, venues or reports do not automatically become separate collaborations. Food-and-drink events and shared festival appearances are labelled by format.
Tam × Lamdre
- (Exact day not published)
Chef Tam’s Seasons, Wynn Palace · Macau
Reported after the event
Participants / partners
Tam Kwok Fung / Chef Tam’s Seasons · Dai Jun / LamdreThe first collaboration with Lamdre’s Dai Jun focused on early-winter plant ingredients and Cantonese methods. Later 2026 coverage describes this December 2025 project.[5] [6]
- (Exact day not published)
Recognition over time
Restaurant ratings and individual honours are listed separately. Editorial profiles are labelled as coverage.
Sources & dates
Public biographies, restaurant statements and named projects checked on 4 November 2026. Exact employment dates and unreported engagements may remain unavailable.
- 50 Best · Lamdre · Asia2026 profile and chef biography ↗Checked 2026-11-04
- MICHELIN · Lamdre · MICHELIN profile and Dai Jun’s Mindful Voices statement ↗Checked 2026-11-04
- MICHELIN · MICHELIN Beijing–Tianjin2027 · restaurant and personal awards ↗Published 2026-10-27 · Checked 2026-11-04
- 50 Best · World2026 · published extended51–100 ↗Published 2026-10-21 · Checked 2026-11-04
- scmp.com · Tam collaboration · 2025-12-lamdre ↗Published 2025-12-29 · Checked 2026-11-02
- thepeakmagazine.com.sg · Tam collaboration · 2025-12-lamdre ↗Published 2026-01-18 · Checked 2026-11-02