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The only thing on Hot Pot’s menu is hot pot (keeping things simple with that name, then) – a communal Chinese dish that’s basically a big, Asian fondue. Of sorts. Here’s how it works: there’s a hotplate welded to the centre of your table, and on that hotplate you place a pot, and in that pot you pour a broth, and in that broth you cook all manner of meat, fish and veg. It’s fun. There’s the option of two broths in one pot (via a clever dividing contraption), so I kicked off with a fiery tom yum base. Tiger prawns came out best – cooked to perfection, they were wonderfully juicy, with a lovely lemongrass flavour emanating from the liquid.
The meat didn’t fare so well though – my marinated beef and pork quickly looked and tasted grizzled. Another disappointment was the second broth, a thin, cheap-tasting chicken soup that tainted everything it touched. Hot Pot ain’t cheap, either – everything you dip is priced separately and it does rack up. The whole experience of sloshing everything in and fishing it back out again is very enjoyable though – and didn’t someone rich once say you can’t put a price on fun?