The National Chef of China has only taught nine chefs. Forbidden City Restaurant's Xiao Xin is one of them. The Beijing native is the Chef du Cuisine of the waterfront restaurant, where he brings authentic Chinese cuisine to diners throughout Long Beach. The menu's Non-Chinese items with treated to the same level of care and virtuosity; sushi chef Endo draws up skills developed during two decades of gourmet slicing and rolling at top sushi bars in Tokyo. Each member of the culinary team brings his own specialties and backgrounds to the kitchen, where they devise a menu that matches the immersive, architectural grandeur of the restaurant's design scheme. Right on the water, lit by the dim, sparkling light of lanterns and tableside fire pits, diners sample entrees ranging from garlic Szechwan beef and lobster steamed in peppered sake to steamed dumplings and signature crispy pork.