There is a palpable increase in tension among staff at Beijing's hippest new eatery, Capital M, when Michelle Garnaut strolls in on a wintry evening, and it's hardly surprising. That's her initial in the restaurant's name, and the 51-year-old Australian is an industry celebrity — the pioneer of China's fashionable-dining scene, whose invariably popular ventures occupy iconic locations in their chosen cities. By her own account, Garnaut has come a long way from being a woman "famous for my bad temper" and a "detail-obsessed" micromanager who "drove everyone crazy." These days, "have no enemies" is her main rule of...
To continue reading: or Log-In