The House of Dynasties, the string of private dining rooms at the Rosewood Beijing hotel, has introduced a Cantonese dim sum lunch as well as fresh Huaiyang cuisine dishes from the lower reaches of the Huaihe and Yangtze rivers. We loved the lion's head, big meatballs of ground pork and shrimp served with tender bok choi. There's a lot of other wow on the menu, including wensi tofu soup with bok choi and chicken, a signature Huaiyang dish said to be invented by a monk from the Tianbao Temple in Yangzhou. At this elegant restaurant, the stories are often as delicious as what's on your plate. Special dim-sum lunch deal through October: parties of four eat for the price of two (440 yuan or $70), or eight for the price of four (880 yuan).

Jing Guang Center, Hujialou, Chaoyang district, Beijing. 010-6597-8888.