Chongqing
Sure, everyone's heard of Chongqing; if it's not for the inspiring Red Songs, it's for the spicy cuisine. This city has been crowned the capital city of hot pot, and it has earned the title.
In virtually every corner of the city, you may find a hot pot restaurant. Among the various flavors available, the beef hotpot has to be a recommended favorite; that's the typical specialty characterized by spiciness, heavy flavors and a dense soup. Chongqing traditional hotpot includes side of beef, beef offal and some vegetables. However uninviting it may sound, it is yummy beyond imagination.
The other famous local dish is the hot and spicy Ma La Tang, which is similar to hotpot but in a modest and humble way. Literally, "ma" means numbness in the mouth, "la" is the heat of chili spice, and "tang" means piping hot.
Basically just raw ingredients cooked in a communal pot of steaming stock blended with spices, Ma La Tang "stew" is convenient to prepare. The excellent dipping sauces of sesame oil, chili sauce, peanut sauce, chopped chilies and garlic combine to make magic-on the tongue. Ma La Tang is now a common dish all over the country.
Unlike its neighbor to the west, Chengdu, Chongqing is more ambitious and life in the city more rarified. It has attracted a considerable number of world famous transnational companies which give the city a more cosmopolitan flavor. So don't worry about fitting into the local lifestyle if this is the city you are thinking of settling down in for awhile.
Recommended hot pot restaurants:
1: Dezhuang Hot Pot Restaurant
Address: Shenxin Building, No.148 Zhongshan First Road, Yuzhong District.
Tel: 023-63521934
2. Pangzi Xianshan Hot Pot Resrautant
Address: Bayi Road, Yuzhong District.
Tel: 023-63718638
3. Fishery Boutique Hot Pot Restaurant
Address: No.20 Xiangshui Bridge, Yuzhong District.
Tel: 023-6392272
