According to Frommer's guide book on China, this restaurant's dumplings are raised to a high art form. If it weren't for Frommer's and Lonely Planet, we might have missed an opportunity to try some of China's finest food. No reservations were required despite the swanky fine dining atmosphere. There also seemed to be a good mix of foreigners and locals eating here. Plenty of seating was available upstairs where we could also get a nice view of the shopping plaza below. An 18-course meal was only 88Y (roughly $13US) per person. Maybe a bit expensive for a local customer but quite do-able for us since a single entree order back home roughly goes for the same price.

Single servings of tea came out in tiny teapots which were regularly refilled by vigilant waitresses. No teabags were used here, only loose leaf, so the flavor was really smooth. Domestic and draft beers were also available. Something odd we observed: every time someone put out an order for draft beer, a waitress would fill up a mug 3/4ths of the way, scoop out the foam at the top with a soup spoon into a separate cup, then continue to fill the mug and scoop out more. Apparently, the employees here don't know that they're supposed to leave some of the foam and pour the rest. It was funny to watch when a whole table would order draft beers. A team of waiters and waitresses would huddle around the tap with a dozen mugs, frantically scooping and refilling until each order appeared pristine.

To start us off, they whet our appetite with crisp snow peas, spicy beef cuts, glass noodles, sweet lotus pastries and pork skewers. All of these dishes were served chilled except for the mushroom soup, which came with some kind of seaweed and goji berry.

Then came a stream of xiaochi (small snacks) in bamboo steamers. The dumplings came in a variety of shapes and exquisite flavors such as flowers, money pouches, tomato, vegetable, soup-filling, dry spice/peppercorn, and walnut. I can't list them all but I savored almost every one of them.

After we finished the last basket of gourmet dumplings, our waitresses brought out a plate of a dozen "regular" pork dumplings, just in case we weren't full! To clean our palate, we were served another light chicken-based wonton soup that was fired up at the table.

The last thing on the table was a dish of complimentary fruit and a comments card, which I found ironic from my previous eating experiences in China.

I haven't had good food like this since the day I had hotpot with the group in Datong. My only regret was not having another chance to eat here again before I go home because no other place came close.