When a couple of Nanjingers together with their business buddy in the burger business from Guizhou visited a potential location for their operation in Xianlin, they must have thought they had struck pure gold.
Likewise in Xinjiekou, when they bagged a city-centre location off Wangfu Da Jie, and to a lesser extent in Yuhuatai District, inside the Epark Mall complex off Ande Men Da Jie.
For when we say it is opposite Nanjing International School, we mean opposite, on the strip across Xueheng Lu at precisely 90 degrees to the School’s gate. No other shop can be closer.
So with it fair to say the very-local-lunching faculty now has an extra couple of minutes to put to good use gorging themselves and lining the pockets of those business buddies, it’s time to welcome Hot Sauce to the Nanjing culinary environment.
Therein, we find three tables for two (or maybe three of the more intimate kind) inside, together with six barstools along a diner counter, set off by two smaller tables and an outside bench.
Then there is of course the now ubiquitously-frustrating QR code on each table/bar perch to scan to order, but Hot Sauce is so small staff will also happily take your order the old-fashioned human way. Or as we did, just stand looking at the large wall-mounted menu and make your choice.
At the time of our visit, around 14:00 on a Saturday, brisk business was being done in the delivery department, no doubt also on account of the fact it was pretty miserable outside and a post Lantern Festival weekend at home was likely foremost in the minds of many.
The French Fries? Bone dry, but in an altogether good way, with not a touch of residual oil left to soil a wanting greaseless finger.
Both the breadcrumbs and meat utilised for the chicken wings, and the seasonings too for that matter, made for a pleasant change from the offerings by one Colonel Sanders.
Three disposable plastic (points off?) tubs of sauce come with your tray of delight, one of which presumably offering for the store’s moniker.
Still with the disposables, your burger comes in a paper wrap which is great news for those who prefer to eschew the disposable plastic gloves, also provided, and those whose hands, thanks to the aforementioned French Fries, remain grease free.
While The Nanjinger had opted for the Hot Sauce signature burger (¥38), also available from the same department are a Classic Burger and Hot Sauce spicy chicken burger (¥32), while the remaining main offering consists of a sautéed beef with onion taco (¥22).
Add to that as side dishes, seaweed chips (¥15; with or without the seaweed), crispy chicken wings (¥22), golden chicken nuggets (¥18), sweet potato (¥20) and the mysteriously-named sauce fillet (¥20)
On the drinks front, hot chocolate is joined by honey grapefruit tea, and sodas (Coke, Coke Zero, Sprite, Fanta and Nestea) on self service which are just ¥10.
Value for money is also offered in various combo sets such as the Angus Valley, comprising burger, chicken nuggets, French fries and a soda for the somewhat odd price of a reasonable ¥48.8.
Looking to that combo, The Nanjinger order the Hot Sauce burger, chicken wings, French fries and a Coke. Not altogether dissimilar to the combo offering, but at ¥70.2, we do confess to having difficulty in reconciling the price difference.
What else is not to love? Staff could be a bit friendlier (we could lose them hanging around outside smoking when unoccupied too), the environment a bit more cared for and considerably less use of the disposables.
Other than such relatively-minor niggles, Hot Sauce does much to solidify the Xianlin western dining environment, and is, without a shadow of a doubt, hot indeed.
