Local plates, global bites

Two broths, one table

At the center of the table that July afternoon is a pot divided in two.

On one side, a deep-red broth simmers with beef tallow, chilies and Sichuan peppercorns. On the other is a milder matsutake and wild mushroom broth, chosen because not everyone at the table can eat spicy food.

Diners can also choose a three-flavored pot, dividing the meal among three different broths.

For Fang, however, the red side remains important.

"If you ask me which flavor we have the most confidence in, I'd still say our spicy broth," she says.

But Sichuan hotpot is not simply about how much heat a diner can take. Fang describes the broth in terms of balance: the richness of beef tallow, the aroma and numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns, the heat of chilies and the spices underneath them.

Texture matters, too. Beef tripe and duck intestine, two hotpot staples, should remain crisp and tender when properly cooked.

Then there are different ways of eating around the same table. Sliced lamb can be dipped in sesame paste, a pairing familiar to many northern Chinese diners. The menu also offers tomato and black chicken herbal broths alongside the mushroom broth.

These options allow diners with different tastes and tolerances for heat to share the same meal without changing the restaurant's Sichuan spicy broth.

"Localization doesn't mean making Sichuan flavors milder," Fang says. "It means lowering the barrier for customers to find their way into those flavors."

Toward the end of the meal, two bowls of chilled tofu pudding arrive at the table — one with osmanthus syrup and red beans, the other scented with jasmine.

After the beef tallow, chilies and Sichuan peppercorns, the tofu is soft, cool and only lightly sweet.