Tuna and wakame salad with strawberries.

"For a good ham the pig must grow to about 200 kilos, eating only corn, and must be about 2 years old."

After having been in China for only a few months, Ruiz has realized that Chinese are very fond of Spanish cuisine, and hams, paella, tapas top the list.

One of the special tastes of Spanish cuisine is sofrito, he says.

"It's something you cook really slowly with tomatoes and garlic. We use it in about 80 percent of our dishes."

Ruiz says China and Spain have a common gourmet culture.

"Both Chinese and Spanish people love food and love eating. We also both see eating as a social event for sharing and conversation."

Ruiz got an early start in a professional kitchen when he was 14, in a restaurant his family used to have in Barcelona. When he saw the chef working in there he thought, "I want to be like him", he says.

When he was 19 he won the best young chef prize in a culinary competition in Catalonia, and got an internship in El Bulli, the world-renowned restaurant with three Michelin stars at the time.

Since then he has worked in many other places around the world, including Dublin, London and Paris.

If you go

Agua

Midday to 2:30 pm, 6 pm to 10:30 pm; Monday to Sunday 4/F, Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang district

010-5208-6188