Mongolian hot pot was originally from northern nomadic tribes. The Chinese hot pot boasts a history of more than 1000 years and became quite popular during the Tang Dynasty. Donglaishun's "shuanyangrou" (instant-boiled mutton) has a long standing history and is favored by many for its special taste. It is one of Beijing's oldest Huimin (Chinese Muslim) restaurants. The lamb-meat – using only black-headed white sheep from Inner Mongolia, the mutton dish are particularly famous for its paper-thin slices, high-quality meat, and an excellent dipping sauce.

A fairly traditional eating experience is using copper pots and charcoal fire. Starting with a boiling pot of perfectly clear water, the lamb is placed inside to cook which is often dipped into a sesame butter sauce. Send the piece of mutton to the boiled water with some traditional stuff. You can eat them the mutton's color is changed. Eat method: put it in blended seasonings, the traditional one is made from sesame soy sauce, sesame oil, preserved beancurd, leek flower, caraway and shallot's mixture. The hotpot dishes are amazingly flavorful: the best part is near the end, when the broth almost at the tongue-tingling climax. Zhima shaobing (Chinese baked sesame pastry) is the perfect accompaniment.

Recently Donglaishun also made some new items on the menu which boasted by the restaurant with those wow factors--- Australian lamb, Japanese Wagyu beef and fresh seafood including spotted garoupa, geoduck, abalone, fresh prawns, razor clams, mantis shrimps and sea clams. Also with some other homemade special items such as lobster and goose liver dumplings, squid dumplings and freshly made noodles.

Hairy Crabs for the golden autumn

As the Chinese saying: shrimps and crabs are meaty when the autumn wind blows. This October, Dong Lai Shun at The Royal Garden will feature a selection of hairy crab dishes, including one that best brings out the crustacean’s natural flavors, steamed Shanghai superior hairy crab.

Other innovative recipes created by the restaurant's Head Chef are braised fish balls with crab roe - packed with freshness and sweetness; steamed glutinous rice dumplings filled with chicken and crab roe, and also some exclusive dishes including sautéed hand-made noodles with crab roe and the 2006 Best of the Best award-winning dish, wok-fried crabmeat and rock lobster with salted egg yolk on rice crackers.

Summer's best at Dong Lai Shun

A seafood menu that places emphasis on freshness and nutrition is now available at Dong Lai Shun, The Royal Garden. Signature items including chilled sea clams with soya sauce and Chinese wine, sautéed shredded abalone with wild porcini and spicy sauce, home-made fish noodles with king prawn and crab meat in shrimp soup, baked whole sea snail filled with minced shrimp and lemon juice, deep fried oyster and Bombay fish cake, sautéed Boston lobster and noodles with spicy sauce, etc.