Classic Sichuan (and Chongqing, where hot pot is even spicier) food. Large bowl of soup/sauce in the middle of the table, perched on a gas hob/burner. Most often the metal bowl has a barrier vertically across the middle, so that a red, spicier soup is in one half, and a white, less spicy soup is in the other. Fans of the spicy half and the less spicy half can dine together, and of course you can mix and match.

Your group orders food, which is brought to you so you can decide what to put into the bubbling soup. Sliced pork and beef, vegetables, doufu, and mushrooms are all standard fare, and you can also get kidneys, liver and many other body parts for the soup. A very sociable way of eating.

Some places do a 'buffet' deal where you pay one price per person (rather than paying for the food you order), and you stroll up to the buffet table to get the food bits - good for your first hot pot, and this overcomes ordering problems. The buffet deals are pricier, but usually include beer and red wine and soft drinks.

Hot pot (huo guo) restaurants are on almost every vaguely lively street. One town we were in had seven hot pot restaurants.

More detailed guide on www.randomstuff.biz in the Eat section of Chengdu.

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Peter's is the ultimate American Dream; a village boy with no foreseeable future moves to the big city and makes it big with his own restaurant chain.

The restaurant features a mix of Tex-Mex and Chinese food, the best milkshakes on the Asian continent, a comfortable atmosphere and free wi-fi if you happen to be carrying your laptop.

The original Peter's:
117 Ke Hua Bei Lu;
tel: +86 028 85227965

The Newbie:
12 Tong Zi Lin Dong Lu;
tel: +86 028 85180903

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More than just a temple, it is a park, a teahouse, a shopping street, a snack street, and a mini-Sichuan theatre house all rolled into one. Go here anytime during the day or night for a bit of relaxation and fun.

Not far from Sam's Guesthouse at 130 Shanxi Jie.

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