The key to the success of "Jin Ding Xuan", a Cantonese restaurant near the Lama Temple, in north-east Beijing: dim sums available 24 hours a day.

It's never empty. Located near the Lama Temple, "Jin Ding Xuan" is without a doubt Beijing best known Cantonese restaurant. Open 24 hours a day, this gigantic restaurant offers four floors of Cantonese delights but also Sichuan (Southwestern China) delicacies.

Its vivid red lanterns, neon sign and architecture reminiscent of the houses of the past make "Jin Ding Xuan" impossible to miss and the ideal place to get your fill of dim sum. Steamed, these sweet and savory bites can be a real meal or just good to soothe a craving, anytime of the day.

Once you pass the revolving doors, the uniformed staff immediately takes you by surprise with their welcoming shouts. Their booming voices give the tone of the restaurant, it's not recommended for romantic dinners, just a place to indulge yourself with good food.

On the ground floor, among the general hubbub, you will find small wooden tables for groups of two or four. The staff, dressed in grey and red, in a hive of activity, run around the customers, aquariums and a kitchen made completely out of glass. Anarchic Chinese music adds to the noise to make conversations almost impossible.

There is an elevator for those of you who are tired, and would rather not take the wooden stairs. You will miss out on pictures of local celebrities proudly hung on white stone walls sprinkled with either mustard yellow or red brick. Red curtains also cover large windows. The screens, private rooms, frames and carved wooden partitions are repeated in pattern on the other three floors of the restaurant, although the various arrangements allows you to engage in livelier discussions as you move up the floors.