Anyone who’s knows anything at all about food knows about M on the Fringe in Hong Kong or M on the Bund in Shanghai. Just in case you’re still in the dark, a brief primer: each of the Ms is an institution in its home city, and the story of M on the Bund’s founding and subsequent success is the stuff of foodie legend, as its opening has been credited with practically inventing the dining scene along The Bund. Though each of the M restaurants sports its own unique style, they both operate with the same philosophy; namely, that diners should have the right to expect a delicious meal served up in comfortable, stylish surroundings, all accompanied by consistently excellent service. Many restaurants talk such talk, but fall down when it comes to walking the walk. The Ms have made their name by delivering upon the talk, day in and day out.

Now that all that lengthy exposition’s out of the way (apologies to anyone who’s fallen asleep at their keyboards), here’s the bombshell: M is coming to Beijing. The name of the new establishment will be, fittingly, Capital M, and it will be located along the redeveloped Qianmen Dajie. In a discussion yesterday at The Bookworm a restaurant that, like M on the Bund, is known for its place within its home city’s literary firmament, CW had the chance to speak with Michelle Garnaut (pictured above), owner and guiding force behind each of the M restaurants, on what Beijing diners can expect from the newest member of the M family, expected to open later this year.

What really stood out in our talk with Ms. Garnaut was her commitment to have the restaurant completely ready to go when its doors open. Higher-end venues are opening at a torrid pace in Beijing these days, and they can go every bit as quickly as they arrive (witness Capone’s in The Place, which barely lasted a year, and Trader Vic’s, whose closing we reported on mere months after we first reviewed it in CW magazine). Despite some restaurants attempts to ease into the market with “soft openings”, many times the hard reality is that reputations can be made or broken shortly after a restaurant opens its doors. Garnaut seems acutely aware of this fact. Rather than being content to merely trade on the famous name of her other restaurants, we got the sense of someone who’s working diligently to make sure that Capital M will be a restaurant that provides the kind of higher-end dining experience that works in Beijing, rather than merely duplicating what worked in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Practically speaking, what sort of restaurant does that translate into?

• First, a unique location. The restaurant’s spot on the top of a restored 19th century building at the north end of Qianmen Dajie should provide it with a view of Tian'anmen Square of the sort for which M on the Bund is justly famous.

• Second, a stylish design. Ms. Garnaut has gone so far to commission a mural that runs the length of one of the restaurants walls (some 50 meters) from Italy, and is working with the designers who put together each of the previous restaurants to design a space that, rather than simply opening up before the diner all at once, unfolds in a comfortable way. A large open-air dining area looking out onto Tian’anmen Square should make this restaurant a mandatory stop on sultry summer evenings.

• Third, world-class service. During our discussion Ms. Garnaut alluded frequently to the challenges of getting and training good staff in this Olympic year; however, excellent service has been a touchstone of each of her prior restaurants, and appears to be one of the primary focuses in getting Capital M ready for primetime.

• Fourth, and finally, good food: though diners should expect some of the signature dishes from M on the Bund, such as its roasted suckling pig and its divine pavlova, to put in appearances, the menu will distinguish itself from the other Ms based on what sort of delicious goodies can be whipped up using ingredients available locally.

So what does this all mean? Basically, dear reader, it means that, if you have even the slightest interest in superior dining experiences, you should be very, very excited. CW will be bringing you more on Capital M as it develops, so keep your eyes glued to The Dish blog, and to CW magazine’s Dining News section for the latest.