The feeling I got from Lao Xian Jue is that it's like a high-end version of a small hotpot, but a low-end version of a refined hotpot. This is because both the ingredients and the restaurant environment fall somewhere in between.

The ordering process starts with selecting a soup base, then choosing the type of meat, and you can also select the quantity of meat itself. This provides a lot of options for pairing, and there are also à la carte side dishes or pre-set hotpot options to choose from.

In terms of ingredients, the vegetables served on the vegetable platter are relatively fresh, but the portions are not very large, and after blanching, they don’t really have any sweetness. The meat is only slightly better than the small hotpot; it’s thick but still not particularly tasty. However, the rice is quite good; it has good aroma, the grains are well-cooked, separate, and neither too wet nor too hard. They have the usual brand of ice cream and a drink dispenser as well.

Regarding the overall environment, the decor is comfortable, and there are restrooms available for dine-in customers. The only downside might be that when there are a lot of people, you may need to wait a while, as there seems to be only one staff member inside and one outside during busy times.

Overall, you can enjoy a hotpot of quality better than San Ma for less than 200 Yuan, so I would recommend it.