China-France Ties: DC restaurant combines elements of French and Chinese cuisines

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As China and France build ties on the political stage - one restaurant in Washington is doing something similar in the kitchen. It offers a mouth-watering mix of French and Chinese cuisines. CGTN's Frances Kuo introduces us to the Chinese-American in charge - and shows us the inspiration behind his creation.

"Opening any restaurant, any concept, you're always scared."

But Chef Tim Ma turned his fear into fame propelling his restaurant Kyirisan to the top ranks in the U.S. capital.

TIM MA CHEF, KYIRISAN "The best kind of feedback that we get is when they say, 'This is not like anything we've seen before.'"

What Ma is whipping up is a blend of the best of French and Chinese cuisines. It's not easy. To Ma -- the two are polar opposites -- right down to cooking styles.

TIM MA CHEF, KYIRISAN "One is very hot fire, sizzling, everything's one pan. French cooking is a go low and slow and build flavors in the pan."

French cooking, Ma mastered -- having trained at New York's French culinary institute. The Chinese -- well, that exposure came early on.

"All I ate was what my mom cooked."

Here's an example of what Chef Ma ended up with. One of his signature dishes is mussels -- traditional French bistro fare -- with a Chinese flair.

FRANCES KUO WASHINGTON "For Chef Ma, opening this restaurant was more than a culinary experience. It led to a deeper discovery about his roots."

"My parents owned a restaurant." "My uncle was a famous chef of his time." "It's an ode to them. And learning the stories behind those dishes is great, like we're capturing all the history of my parents' generation so I can pass it down."

His family has been supportive -- though the fusion concept isn't always so easy to swallow.

TIM MA CHEF, KYIRISAN "They don't understand what I do to the food sometimes. "That's where the challenge is to try to change people's perceptions of what they're used to."

A life lesson he hopes to impart to his three children -- to whom the restaurant is named.

TIM MA CHEF, KYIRISAN "The past few years of this restaurant has been a very personal journey. The restaurant is super personal to me."

FRANCES KUO, CGTN, WASHINGTON.