For diners who pay more attention to the dining environment, the Shinohin Hot Pot Skewers located in Shinko-ri are a good choice.
The small courtyard is like a "clear stream" in Chongqing's string of incense shops. In terms of design, Shinoin subverts people's traditional impression of a skewer incense shop, blending modern simplicity with Japanese style. The interior of the store is decorated in red and white, and decorative elements such as wooden lattices and lanterns can be seen everywhere. Shinoin's dining space is not as cramped as other skewer restaurants, with wide distances between tables and sofa seating areas.
The bottom of the pot is divided into butter, clear oil, and tomato (mandarin duck), and the spiciness of the pot base is low compared to the old skewers such as Li Kushian and Ho Wang's. Although the choice of pot base depends on personal preference, among the three types of pot bases in Shinoin, the butter pot base is the most worth trying. The bottom of the butter pot is ruddy in color, and the blood and tofu are added, and the fragrance is rich. In contrast, although tomatoes are added to the tomato pot, there is no tomato flavor, and the more you cook, the more bland the taste becomes.
There are not many types of skewers in Shinoin, and the same protagonist as beef is the hairy belly skewers. The method of hairy tripe skewers is no different from beef skewers, and different vegetarian dishes such as cowpeas, radish, celery, and coriander are wrapped in the middle of hairy tripe. The taste of the hairy belly skewers is more layered, but there are not many highlights in the taste, in contrast, the special dish red willow lamb skewers are more worth a try, the red willow lamb skewers use the juice secreted by the red willow branches to decompose the smell of mutton, and there is little greasy taste.
Ice dumplings are a must-have for eating skewers of incense. Shinoin's iced dumplings come in two flavors: red beans and soybean flour, and diners can also choose to join them. The glutinous rice balls are soft and glutinous and sweet, the ice melts in your mouth, and the dessert has a mellow milk flavor, even if you don't need to "relieve spiciness", it is worth enjoying.
Compared with Chongqing's long-established skewer incense shops, Shinoin is slightly inferior in taste, and the price is on the expensive side, but the service level is higher. Opened in the summer of 2018, Shinoin is so popular that diners can make reservations by phone in advance.