Kitty Wang opened Yi Er Chuan (3709 Payne Ave., 216-266-0573) in April, bringing one of the first malatang – or spicy hot pot – experiences to Asiatown. Not to be confused with typical hot pot restaurants, where diners add ingredients to a simmering broth at the table, malatang cooking is all done in the kitchen.
The Chinese street food concepts are beginning to pop up around the country, popular with diners looking for quicker version of the hot-pot experience. At Yi Er Chuan and places like it, guests select a broth and any combination of meats, seafood items, vegetables and noodles. A paper check list-style menu makes it easy to pick which of the nearly 50 items a diner wants in his or her bowl.
The main broth is spicy thanks to dried chili and Sichuan peppercorns, but there’s also a non-spicy tomato version. From there you move onto meats and seafood like beef, lamb, shrimp, squid, ham and sausage. But also pork ball, fish ball, pork intestine and chicken gizzard. Veggie options include cabbage, corn, wood ear, lotus root, soft tofu and tofu sheets. Finally, there are four noodle options: ramen, udon, egg and sweet potato.
In addition to the build-you-own-bowl format, the menu offers five combination bowls starring the meat or fish of one’s choice and the kitchen picks the rest. For example, the beef bowl includes beef, beef balls, beef tripe, cabbage, tofu skin, potato and choice of noodle.
The restaurant also prepares "dry pot" versions, which are stir-fried dishes as opposed to broth-based.
Other street food-style menu items include scallion pancakes, cucumber salad, spring rolls, fried dumplings, lamb or beef skewers, crispy salted chicken, rice cakes and Taiwanese sausage.
Yi Er Chuan is in the former Rising Grill spot directly across the street from the plaza with Han Chinese, Map of Thailand and Koko Bakery.. The restaurant joins two other newish restaurants on that block, Ice or Rice Cafe and Alpha Ramen.
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