La Taverne de Zhao

You risk burnt fingers and tongues trying to get into your hotpot too soon at La Taverne de Zhao, with its wonderful casseroles full of bouillon, large translucent soft noodles, beef, coriander, mushrooms, seaweed and tofu. Cool down with a pull of milky bubble tea with tapioca balls, and take a break to snack on pork buns.

No roast duck here: the cooking is native to X’ian, the capital of the Shaanxi province, where traditional recipes prefer cooking in a pot, adorning with edible flowers and adding mysterious herbs. Chef Zhao offers many dishes you won’t have had a chance to taste before – not everything works, in particular a rather unappetising stewed chicken, but the soups, bubble teas, raviolis and meat buns are all very worth the visit.