Fodor's Expert Review Lai Jin Yu Xuan

A gem tucked inside Zhongshan Park on the west side of the Forbidden City, Lai Jin is known for its Red Mansion banquet, based on dishes from Cao Xueqin's classic 18th-century novel, The Dream of the Red Chamber. The two-level restaurant sits beside a small pond amid willow and peach trees. The two daily dishes are qie xiang (eggplant with nuts) and jisi haozigan (shredded chicken with crown-daisy chrysanthemum). After your meal, take a lazy stroll across the park to the nearby teahouse with the same name, where you can enjoy a cup of tea in the courtyard surrounded by ancient cypress and scholar trees.