Best spicy restaurant

Recommended: Shu Fu

Shu Fu specializes in spicy lamb, but their ribs are just as hot.

At Shu Fu, spicy lamb is the specialty of the house, so if you love chili-covered lamb ribs, give it a try instead of heading to your usual table at Di Shui Dong.

The popular chain has grown from one store in Shanghai to six branches in about a year. The theme: upscale Sichuan.

The décor is opulent, with a ceiling draped in crystals, glittering chandeliers, white seats with silver backs and a view over Nanjing Dong Lu.

“Shu Fu's hand-torn mutton chops, the shui zhu yu [oil-boiled catfish], duck soup with chili sauce and bullfrog claypot are Sichuan essentials,” says restaurant consultant and chef Anthony Zhao.

Shu Fu, 2/F, Novel City, 133 Tianyaoqiao Lu, near Xingeng Lu 天钥桥路 133号永新坊步行街2楼, 近辛耕路, +86 21 3368 6597, +86 21 3368 6198, hours: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

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