Is This the BEST Hot Pot in Beijing, China? 🇨🇳 (First Time Trying Hotpot) 

Generally, there are two genres of hotpot in China, Sichuan spicy hotpot and Peking hotpot. The one you had at Dong Lai Shun is a signature restaurant for Peking hotpot. And as someone who's born and raised in Beijing, I would say the sesame dipping sauce with a slightly touch of fermented bean curd, leek flower sauce, mixed together with chopped green onions and cilantro, sets up the best flavour for any ingredient coming out from the pot. I would agree that having a local foodie with you would make it a lot easier or visit Haidilao Hotpot (the largest chain restaurant of hotpot known for its overwhelmingly good service) where the staff there will be gladly helping you out. Have a good one in Beijing!

The church was found by Jesuit priests from Italy in 1653. It is officially called as St Joseph cathedral. But local people called it as East church (dong tang) as it is located in east side of city center. there are three other older Catholic churches in Beijing which were called as south church, north church and west church based on their locations.

You have come to the right place, Dong Lai Shun, for Beijing style hot pot. I couldn't help recall my days in Beijing when we had meals every now and then at Dong Lai Shun with friends 30 years back.

Except from just simply being a kind of food, hotpots provides more about social occations, where people can sit aroud for a long time and chat, discuss, or even talk business, while putting ingredients in and out of the boiling soup at the same time, an interesting thing in the culture.

When eating at a Chinese hotpot restaurant, it's all about the sauces which I feel unfortunately you guys skipped over. Every hotpot restaurant in China has a sauce station. Pre-meal, each person needs to go to the sauce station and make their favorite sauce. If you're a newbie then make 3 sauces to get a range of tastes: 1. Umami sauce with a sesame sauce base 2. Sweet and sour sauce with hoisin and vinegar base 3. Spicy sauce with spicy chilli oil base. Top each of those sauces with some garlic, green onion and cilantro. When eating take a slice of meat, dip in hotpot for about 10 seconds to cook fully, dip it in sauce then put in your mouth.

Everyone should prepare hot pot dipping sauces before eating. Donglaishun has many kinds of dipping sauces, which should be free. You can ask the waiter for them.

The key to enjoying hotpot lies in its dipping sauce. I noticed that the meat on your plates had been cooked but not dipped in any sauce. Everything, including the potatoes and tofu you ordered, can be enhanced by dipping sauce. Next time you have hotpot and you're unsure how to make the sauce, you can ask the waiter to prepare some for you. It's crucial because without it, the hotpot won't taste as flavorful.

I strongly suggest that you find a local person to accompany you to eat again, because the most important thing about Beijing hotpot is the sauce, and it seems that you haven't used it much.

That church is St. Joseph's, established in the 17th century and rebuilt in 1904.

The Catholic church you see was built in 1651, organised by missionaries from Italy and Portugal. Sponsored by Tsing royal family.

The video is short and I can’t wait to watch the next video of you!!! As a Chinese in the UK I miss everything about China so watching your videos makes me recall the life in China, and welcome to China and also welcome you to visit other cities of China ❤❤

As a Beijing native, even Dong Lai Shun has over 30 years of history, but they have never made it to the top hotpot restaurant. They used to have so many locations in the city but I think they closed most of them in recent years because of the quality of their food declining. I will recommend Nan Men Hotpot (南门涮肉), they have the most locations in the city I believe.

When eating hot pot in Donglaishun, the most important thing is to dip it in sauce. You should choose their famous sesame sauce and add a little vinegar, chili oil, coriander, and scallions to the sesame sauce! Then put the meat into the dipping sauce and eat it again!

Hotpot is a meal with many dipping sauces.For example，sesame paste，and so on you should ask for a advice.😂

Its not sweet garlic but pickle garlic. Everything for hotpot is sliced thinly so it cooks in seconds. You put the meat/veg in the soup and take it out within minutes. You leave them in for too long it will disintegrate because they are thin or cooks fast. Chinese people eat hotpot mainly during winter/cold season so as to keep warm. Plus the purpose is for group gathering and a bit of fun. Its a very social event.

Appreciate the honesty. "Copper pot" hotpot is not the most popular kind of hotpot in China (compare to Sichuan style hotpot) and even if you guys had the correct dipping sauce, you still might not loving it. And it's perfectly normal to make small mistakes on the sauce, everybody have to have first time, learning is also an experience itself. Lastly, Donglaishun is indeed the more expensive hotpot restaurant here. You guys should try Nanmen Shuanrou (located at east gate of Temple of Heaven), however that spot is very popular so be perpared for a long queue.

Beijing Hot Pot needs to go with sesame paste dipping sauce ~~ Otherwise it doesn't taste right :)

OMG Mixue everywhere.. just fyi mixue comes in Indonesia since late 2020 and now they have almost 400 branches here.. and fyi,again, i ordered online after watching your video 😂😂😂😂 Keep rolling guyss ❤

Wow what a different way of having a meal! I love it! Well done for being up for trying something unusual and sharing that with us!

watching your vlog in a heavy morning rush hour traffici.keeps me entertained.

Thanks, you two are so fun to watch. Honestly, great to see Non native to educate people that are native to China. ❤❤❤

If you could only go to two specialty restaurants in Beijing, they would be Quanjude Roast Duck and Donglaishun Hotpot. So, your choice is correct. But, I got to say, the waiter at the restaurant forgot to tell you to prepare the dipping sauce(蘸料). Hot pot should be enjoyed with dipping sauces. that's very very impotant !😁

You did pronounce Dong Lai Shun very well. Next try Haidilao spicy hot pot, more fun guaranteed. Many videos on social media.

火锅的灵魂是蘸料

St. Joseph's Church, also known as the Wangfujing Catholic Church or the Eight Faced Trough Church, was originally part of the Portuguese Jesuit Church and was located at 74 Wangfujing Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing. It was first built in the twelfth year of the Shunzhi reign (1655) and was destroyed three times during the Kangxi, Jiaqing, and Guangxu periods of the Qing Dynasty. It was rebuilt in the thirtieth year of the Guangxu reign (1904) and is the second church built by Jesuits in the urban area of Beijing after Nantang, It is also one of the four major Catholic churches in Beijing.

You must be very confused about all the comments saying that you didn’t make/dip the sauce when you already had two sauces on the table. 😂 So, for Beijing style hotpot, we usually mix the sesame sauce with peanut sauce and fermented bean curd sauce (some restaurants already have them mixed) adding cilantro and green onion on top. And we usually have one bowl of sesame sauce each so that when the meat (usually the lamb for Beijing style) is cooked, we can just put it in the bowl and eat it when it’s fully covered with the sesame sauce to add flavour. It seems like you didn’t mix the sesame sauce with other ingredients as it remained plain and as it was in the end. That’s why all the comments haha cuz it feels like you didn’t make full/good use of the sauce even though you did have the sauce with you. Also, I would say the soy sauce is more of a thing for Cantonese/ Hong Kong/ Chaoshan beef hotpot because when the hotpot soup is more flavourful, you don’t need extra sauce or just soy sauce with onions and cilantros would be enough; soy sauce is not really a thing for Beijing lamb hotpot so I think when people saw you dipping in the soy sauce rather than mostly the sesame sauce, they all commented that you have to dip the sauce (the enhanced version of sesame sauce) haha. Next time when you have the chance to visit Guangzhou/ Hong Kong and have Cantonese style hotpot, you would definitely want to have soy sauce (maybe mixed with satay sauce) for all seafood / beef etc. Still a good try and good experience though! 👍🏻

You forgot the dipping source, soul of hotpot, especially when the pot is plain water. Nice video anyway ❤❤

Beijing is great. Greatings from Benztown Germany ✨🙏✨

Also, if you are beef lovers, I strongly recommend you try Chaoshan beef hot pot. The different parts of the beef are cut very carefully, and each part has a different taste.

You guys had the best Beijing content so far! Wish you guys are going to Universal Beijing!

Love your videos. I will be there soon next month. I can't wait.

China has more KFCs than the USA.

Hot pot is one of the favorite foods of Chinese people. Hot pot appears more often at family gatherings or gatherings of friends. During busy work and study, everyone will keep chatting for several hours while eating hot pot, and the atmosphere is like a boiling hot pot, more and more restaurants that serve hot pot even have karaoke in the private rooms for guests to sing and dance while eating hot pot. If there are only two of you, I would recommend trying the Sichuan Chuan Chuan, which is a hot pot with a small amount of food on bamboo sticks, priced according to the number of bamboo stick, so you can try more dishes without wasting money.

Next time you should try sesame source, it goes perfect with the meat.

i recommend chongqing style hotpot which you can have at least two soup base, one non-spicy and one spicy, it's more flavorful than beijing style hotpot

Maybe come to Chongqing one day. We have the best spicy hot pot in China😊

Hotpot is very particular. You need to eat it a few times to find out what you like. You need to find the perfect broth that you like, the perfect mix in the sauce that you like and that you create on your own, the right about of meat, seafood and vegetables that you like. I would recommend eating with a local when eating hotpot for the first time. Or link up with Amy from Blondie In China, she's a pro now in eating Chinese food.

Love your videos.

I just passed by a heavy morning rush hour road accident occupying 2 of 3 lanes.

加油💪世界加油💪祖国加油💪

Great to see you two gave hotpot a try. Another thing ✔️ on the food bucket list. FYI, the game of kicking a shuttlecock is called Jianzi in China. :D

Another nice video. Thanks 🙏

Your favorite dessert shop Mixue is actually pronounced as "me" "shoe-eh" which means sweet(honey) snow.

Totally agree with every comments on here about mixing your sauces. Also Taz dipping his entire piece of meat into the soy sauces, is just sodium overload. The ingredients you guys ordered are a mess as well, should have order a few proteins along with greens and beans, this way you get a balanced meal as well as a nice soup at the end since you’ve cooked everything in it. One more thing to add, plain water hot pot is kinda advanced for beginners, where as a flavoured broth is much more beginner friendly.

You have missed the soul of hot pot, which is the dipping sauce. The main dipping sauce for Beijing hot pot is mahjong. I would add fermented bean curd, chive flowers, sesame seeds, sesame oil, chopped green onion and coriander. Everyone has their own dipping recipe, and almost no one doesn’t use dipping sauce, especially for Beijing hot pot, which is extremely light.

I wish I was there to guide you through, the dipping sauces in the hot pot are the key part, especially in BEIJING hot pot you guys should mix the sesame seeds paste with the garlic source and soy sauce together, and dip your just cooked meat in the sauce, will be 10 times better, I'm sure you guys will fall in love with it! Shame that the waitress there didn't introduce it to you and help you mix them togethers, mever mind next time:)

Hi guys, that was very nice at least y'all tried it. I would've also and I probably would liked it. Take care

every chinese episode has to have a mixue lol yeah hot pot isn't really my favorite either so I'm with libby ;). I guess the one you tried is northern style. hot pot I'm use to have sauce bar and for me it's about the dipping sauce otherwise you're basically eating blanched meat/vegs but I know people like that clean ingredient taste. next time you plan to revisit china, put it up in the community tab for specific recs or to see if anyone wants to be a meet up guide. that way you can avoid the more touristy places and get more for your money since that place was a bit expensive by local standards.

Wishing you to have a nice and happy Valentine's Day in China mate. May God bless and fill your wish thinking ever.,❤️❤️❤️👍👍👍

Looks yum 🤤.

In China, every province and even city has a unique hot pot. The classic Beijing-style hot pot （this video） is mainly famous for its mutton and sesame sauce. In addition, the spicy hot pot in Sichuan and Chongqing and the beef hot pot in Chaoshan, Guangdong are widely accepted. The former is mainly spicy soup and various animal organs, while the latter is very fresh beef and unique sauces (mainly peanuts and some other spices) as a beginner. Basically, all hot pot steps are the same. After cooking different ingredients at different times, put them in your own sauce. Hot pot is more like a kind of recreation and socialization in China. We eat and drink slowly with our friends and family while chatting. We often eat hot pot for two or three hours. But I recommend Haidilao hot pot, which is the world's largest hot pot chain brand with first-class service. You can even do manicure for free. Haidilao can choose 4 different soups in one pot,My foreigner families N friends all like Haidilao.

Happy Chinese New Year!

guys!! the sauces!!! if you try hotpot again, please have it with dipping sauce.

Another day, another bubble tea 😄😄

I'm from the north but I LOVE Sichuan beef tallow hotpot...

You guys are amazing, you can’t find more local than that mutton’s hot pot.

11:21 Beijing has the best lamb hotpot.

You should have mixed dipping sauces, that’s what local Chinese do to go with the lamb

The longer you boil tofu, the better it tastes. Enjoy 🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤

Hotpot without dipping sauce is like cooking WITHOUT salt, soy sauce, cheese, garlic, pepper, etc. The whole experience centers on the dipping sauce and finishing the night with starch/noodles. You missed the target

OMG! Just made me mad seeing you guys eat hotpot like that 😅😂. Mixed sauce 🫕🥣 is the soul of hotpot! The experience of having hotpot is, to a certain extent, like barbecue: cooking your own food while chatting with your friends.

Bubble tea is definitely the best drink. Just in time for you to update the channel. I think most restaurants in China don't need to pay service charge. There is no tipping culture here. The copper stove uses water to bring out the fresh flavor of the vegetables and cuts of meat. The cooked food will taste better dipped in the mixed sauce. Can't wait to see more videos from you couple.Love from the local❤

It looks like you guys had no dipping sauces for you hotpot.

You can ask the waiter to help you with cooking the food in hot pot. Definitely they wiil help you. You may get a excellent service experience.

COOL!!!

Sesame sauce is the soul of Beijing hotpot. I love it very much. It seems that you didn't put this with the meat cause I saw the sauce was still full at the end. You are better to ask the waiter to teach you.

happy Chinese new year🎉

the white veggie is chinese yam

Did you get a dipping sauce for the hotpot? The Beijing style hotpot uses water to cook food which doesn’t have flavor, so you need to dip your food into the sauce after cooking it.

Cooking is part of hot pot experience, because you need to have it fresh as the meat is very thinly sliced won’t tasted good if precooked. You pretty much just dip in the water and take it out within seconds, anyone can do that regardless you know cooking or not

This time, you should have asked a local how to eat hotpot. You didn’t even make the source first and knew nothing about how to cook each item. Top bad. But nice try.

The point of Beijing-style Hotpot is the food material and sesame sauce!!! So I am dying to ask if there is anyone who can show you guys the correct way to eat it 😂 Btw I am a local Beijinger who was born and grew up in Beijing and I am living in Beijing as well. So feel free to let me know if you need any advice or guide in Beijing 😊

你们错过了最重要的蘸料😅麻酱

😂 you need to put all ingredients in hot pot then put the meat in hot pot then take the soup and meat from hot pot and eat 😂

All the restaurants you go to like Peking Duck or hot pot are the most famous but not the most delicious, those tend to be the restaurants that tourists go to. Locals don't usually go. Often the local people restaurants taste better than the famous restaurants, and the price is cheaper, if you have a local friend to take you to eat the best value of the restaurant and street food will be more enjoyable

first😀

Doubt my eyes！ Didn’t you guys mix the sesame source?😂anyway, nice try!🎉🎉

You love milk tea so much😂😂

💖China is the Future💖China Is doing an Excellent Super Great Jobs 💖China is the Best Safe & the Richest Country in the World today👏👏

what I do not like is the food segment because I'm starving and I can not do anything.

The sesame source is the key of the flavor, unfortunately you both did not touch it. The dark source is only for the sea food, and every raw material needs different time cocking, i.e potato chip needs at least 8 min, but nice try, thanks for sharing 🎉

第一次吃火锅看起来很紧张哈哈哈😂

Try the jian bing for breakfast before you leave. Most people will love it.

You can make your own sauce

13:48 it is taro

Trying traditional old peiking style hot pot ,you must make your own seasome sauce.

10：44哇撚凍啊😂you guy Cantonese people say hi hi!

this church started on 1703, in Qing dynasty , Have fun

Dong Lai Shun is the oldest hotpot restaurant in Beijing, and was the best one before 1990. Now, here is not the best. I have to sorry to say, you did wrong process to eat it: the only traditional sauce sesame, and you have to put the meat dive into the sesame sauce. It's really sorry that the service girl did not tell you how to enjoy the meal. I am local Bejing-ness, if you still stay in Bejing now, I like to lead your couple to enjoy the Bejing hotpot. Send me messsage.

Try Haidilao hotpot, the staff will help you for sure.

It seems to me that you guys don't eat the cooked food with the dipping sauce - the dipping sauce for northern hot pots i.e. the mahjong-based （brown sesame peanut sauce）. This leads to what you guys are eating can't even be called hotpot , it's like eating all your food without salt and other flavoring

thanks

For me, you did not order too much, I could have eaten your dishes all by myself 😋You start with the meat + dipping sauce, follow by fish balls, fish, tripe, vegetables, and noodles! No flavor other than the dipping sauce. Very important to mix the dipping sauce correctly to your taste

St. Joseph's Church, also known as Wangfujing Catholic Church and Bamiancao Church, originally belonged to the Portuguese Church of Jesus Christ. It is located at No. 74 Wangfujing Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing. It was built in the 12th year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty. It was destroyed three times during the Kangxi, Jiaqing, and Guangxu years of the Qing Dynasty (1655), and was rebuilt in the 30th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1904). It was the second church built by the Jesuits in Beijing after the South Church, and one of the four largest churches in Beijing.

You did not even get your sauce and you overcooked everything! 😂😂 Please get help next them, or you can tell the waitress that you never had hotpot before and ask her to show you how to do it!

To be more idiomatic, y'all could consider replacing the opening "ni hao ma" with "chi(cherr) le ma nin(nynn)"? （吃了嗎您？）which is a really authentic way to greet people in Beijing dialect with the meaning of "have you eaten yet?", a reflection of how important it is to eat well in Chinese culture!

everthing cooked by hot water should dip hot pot sauce (麻酱). in my opinion , if you can ask local to konw how to eat , which is good for you guys

你好，早上好😊

这个火锅的精髓是芝麻酱蘸料，你们却没点单；等于做菜没放调料。😅😅😅

For hotpot, you need to put ingredients that take longer time to cook first...