Lei Garden 利苑

Chairman Chan Shu Kit manages his Hong Kong-based, 18-branch Lei Garden restaurant empire with the military exactitude of his father, a Kuomintang general – and it shows. Service is crisp, the decor is smart, and the kitchen turns out flawlessly presented haute Cantonese – abalone, shark’s fin, bird’s nest – and dim sum (11.30am-2.15pm) that many critics hail as Beijing’s best. This reputation is not unwarranted and explains the weekend lunch crowds. Latecomers must endure an interminable wait while the early birds, occupying vast booths, feast lazily on exquisitely delicate shrimp dumplings, fluffy barbecued pork buns, crispy suckling pig and miraculous glutinous rice in lotus leaf. This fine gastronomic experience is not for the impecunious, though, as prices are elevated even by fancy pants dim sum standards. Voted "Best Cantonese (High End)" and "Outstanding Dim Sum" in the Beijinger's 2011 Restaurant Awards.