High on spice

Red oil pig brain. Feng Yongbin / China Daily

Of the innards, I recommend the goose intestines, which are said to be delivered by air every day from Chengdu to Bejing. "Our supplier in Chengdu is more professional than the likes in Beijing. Not only does it have good quality meat, but much more specialization in offal processing," chef Ma says.

Just scalding the intestine in the boiling spicy broth, made of pure beef tallow, for one to two minutes makes it turn very crispy and delicate.

Dipping sauces include many options, and we choose the sesame oil with garlic. The sesame oil with its characteristic aroma not only gives a silky texture to the food, but also can give a cooling effect to the boiled food.

We also try Hi-Spicy Fish, a signature dish. The catfish is fresh and deboned. It is said to be from the restaurant's own aquaculture farm. The fish slices were pre-marinated with salt, rich Sichuan peppercorn and chili powders for six hours.

Hi-Spicy has also developed an interesting dish by marrying marinated pig intestines with Champagne.

Different from goose intestines, pig innards are chewy and flavorful. With a sip of Champagne, the scalded pig intestines take on a cheese-like aftertaste.