Why Chengdu restaurant Co was city’s first to make the Asia’s 50 Best list
Chinese ingredients meet French flair at one-Michelin-star Co, a five-table restaurant in Sichuan’s capital run by Yang Jin and You Meiyi
Co in Chengdu stands as one of the most enigmatic restaurants in the vibrant yet laid-back capital of Sichuan.
Tucked away in a quiet corner on the third floor of the Chinese Financial Centre, this 199-square-metre (2,140 sq ft) restaurant has just five tables; its dining room, designed by Gokan Studio, features earth-sand walls, natural wood, stone and soft glass glowing under gentle lighting.
Diners are invited to immerse themselves in this serene space to enjoy their singular, seasonal, multi-course tasting menu, which is at once cosy, present, slightly reverent but never rigid.
“Co” comes from the Latin com, signifying “togetherness”, encapsulating both their brand and biography. This husband-and-wife duo run the kitchen as equals, sourcing ingredients from their own 15-acre (six-hectare) farm located 20km (12.4 miles) outside Chengdu.
The land was wasteland when they leased it. Now it supplies the greens, the herbs, the very terroir that flavours their menus. In an era of performative sustainability, their approach is quietly radical.