According to Qi, there are 13 different dipping sauces for the hotpot, but the most popular one is sesame oil with minced garlic, oyster sauce and coriander.

"You could also try canola oil with seasoning salt, which is also a Chongqing sauce," he adds. "The oil could lower the spiciness to protect your stomach."

The restaurant also serves other ingredients from Chongqing, such as needle mushrooms and nostoc commune - also known as star jelly, or facai - which cannot be found in Beijing.

While Zhensanguan prides itself on offering the most authentic Chongqing dining experience that can be enjoyed without having to contend with planes, trains or automobiles, the restaurant has made a few concessions to the demands of its Beijing clientele, explains restaurant manager, Cao Hongling.

According to Cao, besides sliced lamb and beef, Zhensanguan also provides different degrees of spiciness to suit the different palettes of Beijing's foodies, noting that "in Chongqing, we only serve one flavor - the hottest one."

There is also one more thing that Cao thinks that Beijing hotpot aficionados will enjoy - taking the hassle out of deciding what to wear for an evening of eating hotpot with pals.

People usually have to carefully consider their wardrobe choices, especially when it comes to that favorite wool sweater, because the smell of the food sticks to clothes and hair, sometimes well into the next day. This is apparently not a problem at Zhensanguan.

Cao says that because all the ingredients in the hotpot are natural, without any chemical substances or preservatives, enjoying a hotpot with friends will leave no olfactory trace of your evening meal on your favorite threads.

If you go

11:30 am-1:30 am, inside north gate of Beijing Workers' Stadium, Gongrentiyuchang Bei Road. 010-6551-9678.