Golden Inns Chain Hotel Beijing JianGuomen

The upmarket chain is famous for flawlessly fresh seafood flown in from Taizhou daily and this branch is no exception. If you find the à la carte menu overwhelming, go for the set menu to sample various specialities all at once. Besides their signature wild-caught yellow croaker and fried hairtail, make sure you save room for the bird’s nest sweet soup with coconut water and buffalo milk. For the best experience, book a table and pre-order in advance.

The speciality here is Shandong cooking, especially Confucius cuisine, sea cucumber and live seafood shipped daily from Jiaodong peninsula. The chef is from Yantai and knows the food from his home province inside out. Try his roast 45-day-old duck served with caviar, prawn crackers and Shandong pancakes, which embodies features of both Beijing and Shandong cuisine. The lengthy tea menu and bespoke tea service make for a very special experience.

Lei Garden hails from Hong Kong and specialises in authentic Cantonese fare. This is their first Beijing outpost and it rolls out food of a consistently high standard. Most ingredients are sourced from their own farm to ensure quality and freshness. The signature roasted pork belly boasts alternate layers of fat and meat, with crispy skin and juicy flesh. To avoid disappointment, pre-order slow-cooked soups that take over six hours to make.

In 1979, the branch office of Sichuan provincial government opened this restaurant to serve comfort food from back home to homesick officials. Since opening its doors to the public in 1995, it has been a popular spot among locals. In the cosy space, motifs of Beijing hutongs are combined with Sichuan cultural symbols. All-time classics include mouth-watering chicken with springy skin and velvety meat in a fiery spicy peanut and sesame sauce.

Though its name means "purple and gold", this cosy restaurant is clad in hand-embroidered orange fabric with a bird theme. The Hakkanese chef reinterprets traditional Cantonese fare with a refined touch and occasional Hakkanese twists. The braised pork belly ribs with preserved mustard greens are made with rose myrtle fruit wine from his home county. The double-boiled chicken and fish maw soup with conch seduces with its rich, deep umami.

Upon arrival at this upmarket restaurant, diners step into a hallway lined with steeply priced dried fish maws. With years of experience in Hong Kong and Shanghai, Chef Cheung reimagines Chaozhou classics with sophistication and finesse. Braised fish maw with 30-year-aged dried radish is one of his proud creations – the lingering aromas of the radish lend the dish extra depth of flavour. Both the wine list and tea menu are packed with excellent choices.

What this basement restaurant space lacks in views it more than makes up for with eclectic art and a chic bar. Chef William Mahi, who hails from the Basque Country, puts a new Basque spin on French classics. Novel creations such as 52-degree egg with potato foam and white truffle aside, his light-tasting menu appeals with a vast array of seafood, including langoustine, spider crab and squid. The authentic Basque cheesecake is another highlight.