Located street-level in an old-fashioned housing block not far from Elements mall, this bare-bones place may not look like much, but—as the news articles in the windows and the patient queues outside can attest—it is in fact one of the best (not to mention cheapest) places in town for Sichuan casserole chicken hotpot.

After waiting for 45 minutes (at 7pm on a Wednesday!) we finally managed to get a pot, which bubbled and simmered with heady “ma la” spices, onions, cilantro and chunks of chicken. Actually, the rich, gravy-like broth was so packed, we could barely find space in there for our gloriously fresh winter melon, tofu skin, dumplings and starchy potato noodles. We love chilies, but the waitress recommended we go for the “less spice” option. A good call—they seriously don’t hold back with the heat here.

We can also enthusiastically recommend the lamb skewers, which come dusted with cumin and other spices, with just the right amount of fat to keep things juicy and delicious. Usually, hotpot is a bit of a pain with just two people as you can only order a couple of dishes, but As You Like solves this problem by offering everything in half-sizes. A small chicken pot costs $78, while portions of vegetables, dumplings and tofu a deux ring in at under $10. You order whatever you like and it’s all presented in a wooden tub.

One small niggle: the paper-thin sliced beef is nothing to write home about. Next time we’ll order more skewers instead. Oh, and if you can’t read the Chinese-only menu, you should be able to muddle through with the staff’s help and a bit of pointing. The phone numbers provided by As You Like are unreliable, so good luck trying to call ahead.