Nation warms to hotpot in all seasons

Malubianbian, which translates as "side of the road", is a chuan chuan hotpot restaurant chain, where the average cost per person is 80 yuan. Founded just three years ago, the business now has more than 800 restaurants nationwide, mainly targeting a younger clientele.

Hu Jun, a co-founder of the chain, said it did not expect to expand so rapidly.

The restaurants are decorated in a style that takes diners back to the 1970s and '80s, Hu said. The decor features three main elements: interior streetlamps; wallpaper covered in graffiti; and blue chairs. In each city, the graffiti is localized.

"We also ensure that our dipping sauce has the authentic flavor of Chengdu (the capital of Sichuan) by adding a spoonful of soup to the minced chili and peanut, rather than sesame oil with garlic sauce or minced chili, pepper and salt."

Hu said the company's branches never compromise when it comes to the food they serve. "We only serve a spicy-flavored soup base, which can bring back childhood memories."

He thinks the spiciness of Sichuan hotpot is a particular attraction for diners, and this ensures repeat business.

Hu said that in Chengdu people sometimes waited in line at a Malubianbian restaurant for up to six hours, adding, "Now, as we have opened more branches, the lines aren't that long," The company also has branches in the United States, Australia and Malaysia.

In northern China, lamb is the preferred choice for hotpot. In the Michelin Guide Beijing 2020, released on Nov 28, no stars were awarded to a hotpot restaurant in the city, but two won Big Gourmand accolades and another two won Michelin Plate ratings.

A Big Gourmand is awarded to restaurants judged to be both good quality and value by a team of assessors, while a Michelin Plate indicates that quality food is served.

A Michelin Plate went to Beijing's Yangdaye Shuanrou restaurant, which translates as "Uncle Yang's Mutton Hotpot".

Cai Shihong, 63, who is known as Uncle Yang, opened the restaurant in 1996. Only the meat from a lamb's back legs is traditionally used for the hotpot, but Cai decided to feature different parts of the animal.

He said that during his childhood in the 1960s, the mutton for hotpot was carved by a chef. "It was so thin that people could read the words of a book through a single slice," Cai recalled.

In the mid-1970s, the arrival of electric meat slicers meant that mutton could be sliced by machine in hotpot restaurants. "The skill of slicing the meat is actually a culture, and now at my restaurant I am bringing this technique back by serving hand-cut meat," Cai said.

He added that the restaurant serves "yuanyang pot", which consists of both spicy and plain soups. "This is a compromise for younger customers, as it's usually the case that when couples come to my restaurant, the men will have the clear soup to enjoy the mutton, while the women usually want to try the spicy soup," Cai said.

He always considers the younger generation when he updates his hotpot menu.

"People my age used to be picky about all the hotpot ingredients, from the mutton to the fermented bean curd added to the sesame sauce. But now, the younger customers don't care that much about the ingredients－atmosphere is the key," Cai said.

Three years ago, he invented a way of serving the sliced meat on a meter-long wooden board, which was quickly adopted nationwide.

"The board has 400 grams of meat on it. I got the idea when I saw the wooden boards we use to serve beer," Cai said.

His business has moved several times, and each time a new location opens, he considers the decor. Cai recently opened a branch named Aunt Yang's hotpot, which features neon lights to target younger customers.