Kuaile Laojia Restaurant in Chengdu

The way of life in Chengdu is slow and leisurely and its pace would seem terribly torpid to those not familiar with the Chinese culture. Though this city, the capital of Sichuan, is an important trade and commercial centre it has not lost touch with its roots. Among the Chinese it is believed that needless hurrying for more material things will not get you fulfillment.

"What is life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare..."

The lines may have been written by a western poet but it is true that the Chinese have lived and breathed this very philosophy for long.

In Chengdu it's always worth taking a look and taking time to smell the coffee.
And since we are talking about smelling the coffee, why don't you go a little further and try breathing in and sampling the wondrous aromas of the famous Sichuan style hot pot?

One of the best places to try the hot pot is the hotpot restaurant called Kuaile Laojia in Chengdu. Kuaile Laojia translates to "Happy Hometown" in Chinese. This hot pot restaurant has an incredible feeling of warmth and you'll like it as much for its hospitality as for its good food. The restaurant is well laid out and is very spacious and airy and thus affords privacy at each table. The Hot Pot is delicious- the broth thick and aromatic and the dipping sauce will make your taste buds tingle with its myriad flavors. In Kuaile Laojia Restaurant you get the special traditional Sichuan hot pot prepared with bean sprouts, leeks, a variety of mushrooms, sausages, seafood, organ meats, and/or duck tongues. Though the menu is not written in English it has photographs of the dishes and its ingredients and thus it is easy to decide on what to order even for people who cannot read the menu. Prices depend on the ingredients you choose # the more exotic, the more expensive the dish. The ma la or hot and numbing hot pots come highly recommended though the plain mild broth (baitang lu) is also rather nice.

Address Lingshiguan Lu 5,
Chengdu,
Sichuan Province
Phone 028/8522-4999
Cuisine Chinese
Price Meal for 2 ¥100-¥200 ($12-$24)