Lido Area

Find authentic southern flavor in the capital
By Jackie Zhang

The interior of Le Pot-au-Feu is like something out of a Hong Kong movie, but it serves authentic Canton dishes, soups, rice pots, and seafood instead of the typical teas and snacks.

It is not terribly easy to spot. Although not small, it lacks the pomp and flash most local restaurants employ to attract customers. The customers it does draw, however, are regulars.

Rice pot is the traditional staple of Guangdong Province, and comes highly recommended at Le Pot-au-Feu. The pots are available in 20 flavors. Sausage, chicken, griskin and duck all go into the pots.

The sausage rice pot is a house specialty. Preserved pork sausages and duck legs are mixed into the rice to flavor it. One pot serves four to six. With the city’s weather getting colder and colder, a rice pot and a pot of soup is a good meal to keep one warm and satisfied.

Fin served with chicken soup is another highly-recommended dish. The highlight of the dish is not the fin, because most chefs use cheap fins. What makes it delicious is the broth. Le Pot-au-Feu’s soups are boiled a long time, and the flavor comes out in the first spoonful. It can’t be compared to soups made from granulated chicken stock.

First-floor diners can watch their dishes get cooked through a glass window.

The second floor is quiet, and is designed for group dinners or lovers sharing a romantic meal. There are special rooms available for guests to dine in a comparatively independent environment.

Le Pot-au-Feu
Where: Beside the north gate of Side Park, Jiangtai Xi Lu, Chaoyang District
Open: 10 am – 11 pm
Tel: 6438 8889