冷鍋魚(Cold pot fish)
a new variation of hotpot food―fish cooked in boiling spicy decoction in the kitchen and then served in a cold pot on table―save the distinctive hotpot flavours yet spare the gourmets from a cauldron experience of being exposed to steaming vapour of the hotpot. it has got a strange name of ‘cold pot fish’, though the dish is simmering hot under the surface of the oily film.
in my eyes, the cold pot fish offered by zhuangzi village is no inferior to that of the famous three ears (san zhi er), while the restaurant is also acclaimed for its hotpot and sichuan dishes.for choice, the cold pot fish has three offers (the whole fish, head-and-half-body, and fish head) and three grades of spicy intensity (mild, normal and strong), according to the preferences of guests. three kinds of flavours are also prepared (crisp soybeans, green peppers and salted vegetable roots), to be added to the spicy soup in tiny bowls and to be savoured in accompaniment of the fish meat. after that, other ingredients―meat and vegetables―are put in the pot and cooked over an oven.
the restaurant also provides foods stewed in sauce, which may serve as a good appetizer before the main course, and a varity of dim-sums are recommened to complete a satisfying palatial experience.