Lan Sheng's lip-numbing and heart-pounding hot pots are setting palates ablaze in midtown. The fact that their competent and efficient service team is as warm as a peppercorn ranks them well above their flourishing Sichuan brethren. It seems as if the culinary handcuffs have been removed from this "regional" cuisine, which shines here with excellent ingredients in simple yet skillful dishes. Comfortable, high-backed banquettes, ornate wooden carvings, and recessed lighting impart an elegant touch to this long and narrow room. Hectic at lunch, Lan Sheng fills quickly with business diners slurping up the likes of delicious dan dan noodles tossed in soy and tangled with ground pork, smoky chili oil, and scallions—the apotheosis of spicy noodles. Likewise, pickled vegetables in chili oil are the perfect accompaniment to any meal. Photos are an expedient way to navigate the expansive menu, which has included specialties like dry wok-fried green beans with spicy pork crumbles; or tea-smoked duck with marvelously crisped skin and tender, juicy meat. The house-special pork belly, thinly sliced in pan juices fragrant with ginger and paired with steamed bao, offers a rich and abundant experience.