Like some other high-end restaurants Huafu Tiancheng offers Cantonese delicacies including abalone and shark fin. But there is one thing that you don't see at other places -- fresh forest frog.

In the China of old times, forest frog was considered a precious and rare food and among eight "water treasures", with such delicacies as shark fin and sea cucumber. Most notably produced in Northeast China, this forest frog is not just any frog. Better known as "ha shi ma", it is famous as a nutritious and replenishing food. The frog in the wild is China's national second grade protected species. The ones available in restaurants are bred at forest farms.

Ha shi ma used to be among special foods collected and dedicated to the imperial family. As a nutritious food, it is considered by traditional Chinese medicine doctors to replenish energy for the kidneys, moisten the lungs and nurture the yin factor in the body.

Ha shi ma is said to have a miraculous effect in helping people recover from fatigue, promote growth, raise immunity and delay the ageing process. It is also said to have beautifying functions for women. Oil extracted from the forest frog is used as a TCM medicine to help with children's cough, replenish women after delivery and assist people with weakened physical capacity.

Now this traditional treasure is being made into tasty dishes at Huafu Tiancheng. Forest frog features in four dishes: stewed imperial style (128 yuan per person), simmered in soup with jujube (168 yuan per person), simmered in soup with beef tendon served in coconut (168 yuan per person), and with nutritious herbs (128 yuan per person).

While forest frog with jujube soup is good for women, forest frog with beef tendon soup served in coconut is designed for men. Both replenish the yin factor in the body and make people stronger.

Female forest frogs contain black roe that looks and tastes like sturgeon roe. The stomach part tastes buttery like the cream of a steamed male crab. The price is reasonable given the quality.

Besides forest frog, the restaurant offers the most popular of Cantonese and Hunan cuisines. Sauna razor clam is an innovative dish, in which clams are put inside a hot terrine, and water poured from above turns into steam to make the clams fresh and tasty. Hong Kong style roast goose is a typical Cantonese specialty. For vegetables try baby cabbage in earthen bowl.

The restaurant is beautifully decorated in traditional Beijing courtyard style. Yet the dishes are presented in Western manner, and service is quite adequate. Average spending is 50-200 yuan per person in the public area, and 100-1,000 yuan in private rooms.

Location: 3/F Northern Land Properties Mansion, 81 Zizhuyuan Lu, Haidian District.

Opening hours: 10am-2pm, 5-10pm

Tel: 010-6506-6666/6557-9999.

(Beijing Weekend December 8, 2007)