Otto’s Restaurant is a Cantonese diner-esque chain – definitely not something one typically sees in the hutongs, but such finds are exactly why Beijing’s many alleyways are fun. The two-storey Hong Kong eatery located on Dongdan Beidajie, one of eight in the city, is not too shabby, and a wait of 30 minutes proves it’s popular with the locals.

The dishes are so enticing and plentiful that even trying just a little of everything will prove impossible. The menu is designed like an in-flight shopping magazine. You see the goods, you want them, but here you actually buy; this is impulse dining at its best.

The favored dishes here are the rice casseroles: sizzling clay pots filled with rice, meat and veggies, then doused with just enough lip-smacking savory sauce to scarf up beyond your hunger’s capacity. Get your order sent to the kitchen quickly, as it takes 20 to 30 minutes for the casserole to cook. Service is prompt and straightforward. As your air-dried pork and spare-rib rice casserole is dashed to your table, its aroma rides into your olfactory. The waiter briskly tosses the hissing rice and fixings just before you grab the spoon and heap a bounty of sweet Cantonese sausage, bite-sized pork ribs, and saucy, steaming rice into your bowl. With 15 sumptuous meat-topped rice casseroles to choose from and one with solely veggies, a filling meal is certain.

Address: 72 Dongdan Beidajie (10 metres in from the main street, across from Xiehe Hospital), Dongcheng District 东城区东单北大街72号(外交部街口)Source: timeoutbeijing.com