Chinese Corner: Jiangbian Chengwai

What: Sichuan style roasted fish

Where: Room 201, 569 Jinling Dong Lu, inside Hui Du Building. Tel: 400 666 5353

Why: There’s a queue for good reason!

If you think Shanghai’s delicate tastebuds aren’t ready for hot and spicy Sichuan cuisine, just head down to Jiangbian Chengwai for a glimpse of their long queue. Diners are lining up for hours on end just to taste the Sichuan restaurant’s home-style preparation of roasted fish.

Once inside the restaurant, hungry patrons choose from five varieties of fish while breathing in the heady aroma of what’s about to come. Sold by the jin, prices range from RMB 32 to RMB 68 – bone-averse patrons take note: order the easy-to-eat qingjiang fish (RMB 48 per jin). Diners also select the sauce slathered on the fish, but do as the locals do and stick to the spicy or lobster sauce. To ensure the dish is worthy of the hype, the chefs don’t cut any corners. Before arriving at your table, the fish is salted, roasted, deep fried and stewed to make sure the meat absorbs all the flavours familiar to Sichuanese cuisine, including the infamous mala – mouth-numbing spice.

Billed as side dishes (RMB 4 each), the peanuts, cabbage, tofu and more actually come as part of the main dish, piling on top of the whole fish as well as making the bed that it lies on. If you want something more to your meal, try the romaine lettuce with sesame paste and hot and sour root vermicelli (RMB 16) – a nice vegetarian option for the whole table. While beer is known for cooling the mouth in between fiery bites, sample the chou liquor here instead. The milky alcohol is made of rice and proves to be the perfect match to the rich meal.