Always the educator, Chef Brian McKenna has begun offering weekend cooking classes for small groups within his Blu Lobster kitchen. For my lesson two weeks ago, several food writers got together: in addition to yours truly, That’s Beijing, Business Traveller China, Time Out Beijing, and Insider were represented.

McKenna’s kitchen is normally all-male except for the pastry chef, but the all-female crew quickly righted the ratio. As relative novices to the sweaty, bustling kitchens that produce daily the delicacies we get to savour, and critique, we were certainly curious and excited.

All those years of writing and hiding behind notebooks have led to some bad interpersonal skills, it seems:

The first recipe helped us appreciate the art of the welcome apéritif, and to quickly overcome any inter-magazine jostling that might have arisen otherwise. The usually passé Pina Colada was revived in a pineapple granita and star anise-rum jelly combo, topped off with coconut milk. Salad was a Crab, Sweet Potato and Peppered Mango concoction, and for the entrée, we learned how to retain the moisture of a beef fillet served alongside a home-made spinach ravioli that released gooey egg yolk upon cutting.

The patient chef explains:

No matter how many times he shows me, I still struggle to seal the raviolis without breaking the egg yolk. Blame it on the rum.

To finish, a liquid center Dark Chocolate and Star Anise fondant (what is more commonly known as a chocolate lava cake) taught me some secrets behind the art of soufflé making.

(Getting hungry...can’t focus...I want to eat THAT over there.)

Every first Saturday and Sunday of each month, a mere rmb988 plus 15% service charge will introduce you to three of Blu’s signature dishes, followed by an exclusive four-course meal (cocktail and white/red wines included) with the garrulous McKenna.

The crab salad:

And if you're too high-class to get your hands dirty, do as some Chinese taitai's have already begun: bring your ayi.