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"With over 6,000 locations across China, Yangguofu is the heavyweight of malatang—a fiery, customizable soup that’s different every time. The drill: Grab tongs and a tray, choose your ingredients, and pay by weight. Minutes later, your selections reappear from the kitchen, perfectly cooked in the broth of your choice. First-timers might feel overwhelmed by the options, but that’s the fun. We like the mini dumplings, crunchy rice cakes, fish balls, lotus root, fried eggs, fresh noodles, and plenty of greens. Broths run from gentle tomato to triple-spicy for chili fiends, and the DIY sauce bar, with sesame paste, soy, garlic, chili, and fermented bean curd, for mixing and matching." - Michael Zee