DONG LAI SHUN

This basement restaurant at The Royal Garden in Tsim Sha Tsui East is popular with both visitors and tourists alike, offering specialities from Huaiyang and Beijing near the eastern coasts of China, with an emphasis mutton dishes that take inspiration from the north. On any given night, it’s a buzzing affair as half of the tables indulge in steaming hot pot meals while the other half dig indulgently into shared plates. On the hot pot side, choose from a list of enticing soup bases (you can’t go wrong with the Sichuan Spicy), and a piping pot of broth will be brought to the centre of the table, into which you get to toss fresh cuts of mutton and beef slices, handmade meatballs, handcut noodles and more. On the regular dining side, expect colourful presentations and a dizzying menu of mostly classic dishes that play on the refined, mildly sweet and vinegar-based seasoning for which the Huaiyang region is known. Add to that, Beijing- and northernstyle offerings like dumplings and mutton satay—and we say best of luck trying to narrow down your options. No matter how full you might meal at the end of your mains, you must save room for the Chinese desserts — and the deepfried sesame dumplings filled with salted egg yolk, which taste as decadent as they sound.