The organic pea sprouts are cut right in front of diners. [Photo provided to China Daily]

From thinly cut slices of rib-eye steak with just the right amount of marbling, to organic pea sprouts cut and harvested from their tableside growing container, the ingredients are also high quality.

Ao has another meaning-to endure. Established in 2006 in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, Ao Ba Nian literally means "enduring for eight years", a moniker chosen because it opened eight years after the owner had established his first eatery, Ludingji.

The Beijing branch of Ao Ba Nian, which opened in 2018, is located in Sanlitun's trendy Taikoo Li North area.

It's a two-story space with wraparound floor-to-ceiling windows. The design is said to be inspired by the shape of hotpot caldrons.