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"Joining San Diego's growing hot pot scene, Shancheng Lameizi is a Beijing-founded brand (est. 1993) with 22 locations in China and three in California — one in Milpitas and two in the San Gabriel Valley — and will replace longtime Convoy Street restaurant Thai House Cuisine. It specializes in Chongqing-style hot pot, with soup bases made fresh daily: the spicy, numbing broth features Guizhou hot pepper, Sichuan pepper of Maowen, Pixian bean sauce, and natural spices, while the mild soup is made from long-simmered pork bones. The a la carte menu offers a huge selection of meats, seafood, and vegetables to cook tableside, from Kobe beef ribeye, lamb shoulder, and cuttlefish dumplings to chicken gizzards, lotus root, enoki mushrooms, and fresh tofu skin, and there’s a self-service bar where diners can help themselves to sauces and complimentary snacks and desserts ranging from peanuts and red bean soup to fried glutinous rice balls with sesame. President Ryan Zhu says construction on a comprehensive remodel should begin by the end of summer, with the Kearny Mesa restaurant slated to open by early 2020." - Candice Woo