British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his entourage were spotted dining at a Yunnan cuisine restaurant in Beijing during his China visit on January 28. Photo: Screenshot from Weibo

"About 140 people, including officials, media, and business figures, dined at our restaurant during British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit. Interestingly, we've never had so many white foreign guests at once," He Xiangming, manager of Yizuoyiwang, a Yunnan cuisine restaurant in Beijing's Sanlitun area, told the Global Times on Thursday. "Almost all of them used chopsticks, which made the scene quite unique."

Photos and videos featuring British Prime Minister Keir Starmer dining at the restaurant on Wednesday evening, after his arrival for an official visit to China, quickly drew attention from Chinese netizens on social media platforms, as many netizens and foreign media noted the restaurant was previously visited by former US treasury secretary Janet Yellen.

When asked why Starmer chose Yizuoyiwang, He explained that it was due to the British Ambassador to China being well-acquainted with their dishes and a regular patron of the establishment.

He also highlighted an interesting detail: When making the reservation, the other side mentioned Yellen's previous visit to the restaurant, "perhaps finding it an amusing coincidence," he added.

He confirmed to the Global Times that on July 6, 2023, when then US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited the restaurant, she ordered four portions of jian shou qing, a wild mushroom that CNN once described as "an unusual yet highly sought-after delicacy prized for its unique properties."

Jian shou qing, known scientifically as the lurid bolete, is a boletus mushroom renowned in Southwest China's Yunnan for turning blue when bruised and oxidized.  

"They seemed to have been influenced by the dish choices of Yellen's team, as they ordered three portions of mushroom-based dishes," He said.

The restaurant manager indicated that they plan to launch a "Prime Minister's Set Meal" in the future, allowing customers to enjoy the exact same dishes as the British prime minister.

Regarding the dining details, He recalled that Starmer's group arrived at the restaurant around 8:30 pm and departed at 10:05 pm. "The atmosphere throughout the meal was extremely lively, cheerful, and relaxed," he noted.

According to a video released by the restaurant on its social media account, a staff member presented Starmer with a traditional Chinese New Year woodblock print symbolizing prosperity and success in the Year of the Horse after the meal. The staff member thanked him in English, and Starmer responded in Chinese by saying "xie xie" (thank you). He then turned to those around him to confirm whether his pronunciation was correct.

Some Chinese netizens have observed that the restaurant had updated its profile picture on a major food rating and delivery platform to a group photo featuring Starmer alongside the staff.