The Chinese, especially the Cantonese, believe long-simmered soups with natural ingredients help boost our health.

Such soups are believed to be nutritious, easily digested and the perfect anecdote for Beijing's dry, cold winters.

Sunshine Kitchen (汤城小厨 tang cheng xiao chu) is a reasonably priced Cantonese restaurant offering soups simmered with natural and original flavors for four hours. The soups are boiled with purified water, and there are no additives in the soups - not even salt. But tables are topped with saltshakers for those who want to add a dash to their broths. More than 10 soup varieties are available from 12 yuan a bowl.

Free-range chicken and snail soup with scallops and mushrooms (猴头菇瑶柱煲土鸡螺头汤) is said to help the stomach and intestines, and prevent cancer and aging. Pork ribs with green and red carrot soup (青红萝卜煲龙骨) moisturizes a dry mouth and throat.

And pork lungs boiled with fruit and tender cabbage is said to strengthen the lungs and help beat back nagging coughs.

In addition to soups, the restaurant also functions as a Hong Kong-styled cafe, with milk tea, coffee, prawn wonton noodles and Cantonese small fries.

A braised pigeon costs just 19.8 yuan. There are the popular, traditional dishes, such as sauted beef fillet with spring onion, beef and carrot chops, and Cantonese steamed rice with sausage in terrines. Average cost is 60 yuan per person.

East of Jinbao Dasha, 21 Jinbao Jie, Dongcheng district. 50 m east of C exit, Dengshikou subway station. 6528-2121. 东城区金宝街21号(金宝大厦东侧)。灯市口地铁站C出口往东走50米