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[Local Flavor]: Tan Yu Tou

The standout Chengdu
hot pot in Shanghai (and
what to order)
- By Derek Hafner, Dec 10, 08

The common atmosphere of an authentic hot pot restaurant, no matter its origin -- Beijing, Mongolia, Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan, Taiwan, Hong Kong -- is that of an enormous party (anyone who has seen Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure knows Mongolian hot pot enthusiast, Genghis Khan, loved a good party). The only thing more warming than simply being in the company of friends, is to be grouped with said friends around a giant hot pot -- eating, talking, and of course drinking a lot of beer (hot pot restaurants have a reputation of being filled with drunken Chinese men). I imagine that after paddling some freshman, Chinese fraternities celebrate their brotherhood over a giant hot pot (half mala tang, half pijiu tang). To be cooking your food and dipping your chopsticks into the same boiling bowl of soup is a true sign of camaraderie and a great way to make new friends.

There are an abundance of hot pot restaurants in Shanghai, most without any real draw beyond having a stove in the middle of a table to boil soup. Tan Yu Tou (Ì·ÓãÍ·) is the Shanghai standout for me, and the restaurant offers a distinct hot pot style not only for Shanghai, but also in its home in Chengdu, where hot pot competition is fierce.
What Tan Yu Tao offers, in addition to an authentic Sichuan hot pot dining hall experience (read: loud and steamy), is fish head -- fish head in all its possible varieties. Fish head (yu tou, ÓãÍ·) is Tan Yu Tou's specialty, and beyond the traditional fish head (of which there are a number of fish varieties), they serve fish lips (Óã´½), fish head insides (Óã´à°×), and even fish "bubbles" (ÓãÅÝ). Although, you can be really specific with what you want, the best thing to do is to order their famous jin yu tou (¾¡ÓãÍ·), best ordered spicy as ma la yu tou (ÂéÀ±ÓãÍ·).

When those giant fish heads are brought out on a silver tray as if being served to a king, only then can you understand the true worth of Tan Yu Tao's claim to fame. For more on that, the menu gives guidebook-like information on the importance of Tan Yu Tao's fish heads -- very interesting and all in English. Once each head -- actually, it's half a head -- is finished cooking in the hot pot, they plop them down right in front of you. Once you're done playing with the eyeball and dig in, you'll realize how much good, tender meat is actually based around the fish's head. If you¡¯re hungry, go for two servings, which adds up to be a full fish's head.

As for the soup bases, the best choices are either Tan Yu Tao's classic and my favorite, tan yu tou huo guo (Ì·ÓãÍ·»ð¹ø) -- completely spicy -- or yuan yang huo guo (Ô§Ñì»ð¹ø ), the half spicy, half mild yin yang-style hot pot soup base. The later is good for if there are people in your party not up for the burn. The waiter will also use the soup base to make a special dipping sauce of cilantro, hua jiao, and some other spices, for dipping your cooked food into. Also be sure to order some side dishes to eat while you wait for your soup to boil; try the fu qi fei pian (·òÆÞ·ÎƬ), spicy cow tongue and lung, a classic Sichuan cold dish, and ye cai jian bin (Ò°²Ë¼å±ý) a spring onion pancake good for calming any overwhelming spiciness.

Although it's their specialty, Tan Yu Tao's hot pot is not just about the fish head, and they offer a wide variety of dining options. A good hot pot requires a diversity of ingredients to make a great soup party. Here is a list of some of my favorites:

-Ji Ya xue (¼¦Ñ¼Ñª): coagulated chicken and duck blood -- has an incredible texture and taste. Just tell unadventurous friends that it's red tofu.

-Fu Zhu (¸¯Öñ): this really is tofu, but sort of looks like bamboo. Its sponginess allows it to hold more of the soup's flavoring.

-Si bao wanzi (Ëı¦Íè×Ó): four varieties of meatballs (fish, lamb, pork, chicken). The dish is also a Tan Yu Tou specialty.

-Yang rou (ÑòÈâ): a basic hot pot choice -- thinly sliced, frozen lamb, rolled just like a fruit roll up.

-Jin zhen gu (½ðÕë¹½): these are those long, thin, off-white mushrooms you've probably also eaten on a stick.

This list could go on and on. When ordering you should try to get all of your basic food groups into the pot, and remember that the more you have to throw into the hot pot, the longer your party will go on. Beer, as is always the case with spicy food, is a necessity.

Onto the price: good hot pot is rarely cheap, more so because of the cost of the soup base than all of those ingredients. A meal at Tan Yu Tao for a group of four or more should cost around 500rmb. The good thing is that after paying for your meal, they hand you all of these coupons that should cut the price of your next visit in half. Of course, the bigger your group, the more fun the hot pot party will be, and if everyone is chipping in for the bill, it shouldn't come out to more than 100rmb a person.

Tan Yu Tao's only real fault is its inconvenient locations, and none of its three outlets are within the immediate downtown area. Making the trip to this restaurant, though, is worth it for both the authentic Sichuan hot pot experience, and the fun dining environment that can't be found in any hot pot restaurant in a mall on Huaihai Lu.

Go with a big group of friends this winter on a weekend evening. It's a great way to start your night, and you'll find yourself forgetting how cold it is outside, though hopefully not forgetting how to get home.

Editors Note: Tan Yu Tao offers English-language menus, but you can also print this review here for reference. Read Derek's previous review of Lan Tin, authentic home-style Shanghainese cooking here. Address and taxi-printouts for all three outlets here.

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