[Photo by Kao Rou Ji Restaurant]

Since the Qing, the area around Ingot Bridge has flourished as a result of its various foods and shopping stalls. A grilled mutton stall set up by Ji Decai in 1848 was one among them. Since the Manchu, who controlled Beijing at the time, liked grilled meats, and since Ji was a Muslim, Ji decided to specialize in grilling mutton. Time passed; in the 1940s, Ji's descendants bought a traditional Chinese-style building near Ingot Bridge, and the place became famous as Kao Rou Ji.

Bai Shiqing, the general manager of Kao Rou Ji, said, "In former times, only locals were familiar with this brand. However, with the rise of Shichahai in 2003, the foreign diners at Kao Rou Ji are increasing. And many of them like to eat on the boats, as we offer on-board services bringing cold and hot dishes onto the boats. Many people visit Shichahai to take boats, thus this new service is quite popular.

"During weekends, about 1,000 kilograms of mutton are bought per day. After selecting and cooking, the actual consumption quantity is about 400 kilograms. For years, we have adhered to strict selection and cooking principles. I began as an apprentice with Ji's descendants at Kao Rou Ji in 1962, and for decades I have felt a strong responsibility for maintaining and improving our quality. These strict selection and cooking principles lie at the core of traditional Chinese cuisine."

At Kao Rou Ji only 1¨C2-year-old sheep are used because of their tender meat, with most of the sheep coming from Inner Mongolia, where the natural environment is suitable for their growth. It is also said that male sheep with tails curved in a circle are better. Above all, a sheep's hindquarters are the best part of the whole body for grilling. The second best part is the front legs, which are used when the supply of rear legs is insufficient.

After selection, mutton should be put in refrigerators for about 15 hours to keep the meat tender. Before there were refrigera-tors, mutton was sandwiched between two layers of natural ice. Then comes the two most difficult procedures, cutting and grilling. Half of one kilogram of mutton should be evenly cut into 57¨C62 translucent pieces, which requires the skilled use of a good knife.

There are two main eating methods. One is a traditional method involving people who stand around a fire and a steel hob to grill mutton on their own. Actually, the steel hob is made up of several steel bars welded in a hollow steel circle. The wood of fruit trees such as pear, almond, jujube and walnut trees is often used to make the fires, as they are durable burning materials. Pine cones are added to the fire to create a special aroma. Mutton slices are skewered on 50-centimetre-long slender pointed bamboo sticks, which are hand-held and grilled above the hob. Only the front parts of the sticks contain mutton, as hands should keep a certain distance from the hob to escape the heat of the fire. Seasonings are offered in bowls to be sprinkled on mutton slices. They include soy sauce, vinegar, cooking wine, mushroom soup, ginger chops, shrimp oil and sugar. If required, seasonings can be altered. In addition, vegetables and staple foods (mainly cucumbers, radishes, shallots, garlic and sesame seed cakes) are provided.

The other eating method is simple and normal. Chefs do the grilling for the customers and place the food in dishes, at 58 yuan (US$7.25) for each dish. These days, most diners choose this method. However, young people, especially men, prefer to do the grilling themselves. The room for self-grilling is on the third floor of the restaurant and is specially designed with Chinese folk adornments.

According to Bai, autumn and winter are the best seasons to eat mutton. It is good for the kidneys and skin. He described mutton as "standard green food," because sheep often grow up in natural and clean environments such as pastures.

Every day at 7¨C9:30 p.m., foreign and domestic tourists and locals¨C¨Cespecially the elderly-begin to crowd into the restaurant. In addition to grilling mutton, Kao Rou Ji has more than 160 kinds of dishes to supplement and enrich the meals. The most popular are fried shrimp, trepang (beche-de-mer) and chops of chicken, and mutton in the shape and taste of apricot slices. Large and tender shelled fresh shrimps are used in the fried shrimp dish. The trepang and chops of chicken are nutritious and not oily. With the mutton in the shape and taste of apricot slices, ebony fruit, sugar and sweet-scented osmanthus are added to create a sweet and sour mutton dish.

Kao Rou Ji Restaurant
Address: 14, East Bank of Qianhai (beside Ingot Bridge)