Take me to hotpot heaven!
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What? Instant boiled mutton(shuanyangrou) Where? Donglaishun, Dongcheng 东来顺涮羊肉
Why? They may be a well-known chain, but in Beijing that means a 100 years' heritage rather than same-old, same-old. Founded by Di Deshan, a Hui minority man who once peddled in Xindong'an market, Donglaishun is very particular about its mutton. The meat is frozen before being sliced so finely that Henry Kissinger described it as "thin as a piece of paper, neat like thread and beautiful as a flower." Or was he talking about Nixon?
Donglaishun uses a specially designed copper pot, with a wide middle and space underneath so the charcoal maintains the heat without causing the soup to bubble over.
For locals, dipping sauce is the key factor. Donglaishun has its own factory to make theirs. Sesame paste, fermented bean curd, pickled chives, shrimp sauce and spicy oil are all on the menu. Xie Chun, 27, who has lived here for the last five years, is a self-confessed "hotpot fan" who commented to us that "the sauce smells and tastes good, like a mix of salt, spicy, savory and fresh, and the dried shrimp and mushroom soup really kills the smell of mutton." That can only be a good thing, surely.
Hours: 11 am- 9:30 pm
Beijing Xindong'an Shop 东来顺总店北京新东安店
Address: 5/F, New Dong'an Building, No.138
Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District
东城区王府井大街138号新东安大厦5楼
Tel: 6528-0932
Price for two: 200-300 yuan
What? Porridge hotpot 粥家庄粥底火锅
Where? Zhoujiazhuang, Dongcheng
Why? Zhoujiazhuang is a Cantonese place that boils up rice from Northeast China with seafood and vegetables.
Mutton is never used, as the fl avor better suits other ingredients, which are (in order of how they are supposed to be added) shrimp, crab, fish, pork and mushrooms. Hu Yin, a Renmin University student and regular porridge fiend, commented, "It's the kind of hotpot that's really suitable for people who like a light taste and seafood – like me!"
Address: No.5 Dongzhimennei Dajie,
Dongcheng District
东城区东直门内大街5号
Tel: 8406-0397
Price for two: 120 yuan
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