![]() Japanese hot pot is a whole different kettle of fish.Their base often comes from kimchi so if you like that, you’ll probably like the mild-spicy, sour notes of Korean hot pot. Korean hot pots, often known as army pot stews because they feature things like spam that were brought to Korea by US soldiers, are less intense.Eating Chinese hot pot is an endorphin-rich, slap-in-the-mouth experience. They also regularly hit with Sichuan numbing spice that pretty much makes your lips hum. These are the fiery red broths that often pack enough spice to burn your lips clean off your face. Your standard hot pot is going to be Chinese, probably from Sichuan.It’s good to know them before entering the steamy underbelly of the London hot pot scene. There are some major differences between the hot pots of the world.Practical Tips for Exploring the Best Hot Pot in London You can’t ask for better, but you’ll want a few bottles of soju to complete the night. Strands of sliced beef come bubbling up with segments of needle mushrooms, and a gentle heat runs throughout. You’ll be fishing up bits of spam and tteokbokki. Let it cook off for about ten minutes, stir well, and dig in. The massive pot – definitely a sharer – will be brought out and whacked on top of a portable gas stove in a spectacle that often turns heads. You can find in their menu, if you know what you’re looking for, a portion of Korean army stew that fits the hotpot bill like a glove. Most of the diners there will be putting away plates of Korean classics like kimchi pancakes, bibimbaps, and plates of sticky-sweet fried chicken. Kangnam PochaĪ post shared by LONDON NARU isn’t a hotpot restaurant by any stretch of the imagination. In the fancier restaurants around London they refer to this as nose-to-tail dining. It’s fine to just stick to the regular cuts – Zhang’s cooking will still delight – but if you want the real deal you’ll have to be dunking the offcuts into Tian Fu’s violently red broth. You’ll find all sorts of intestines, tripe, and other questionable ingredients on the menu here. Headed up by Zhang XiaoZhong, the man once in charge of the kitchens at Soho’s excellent Sichuan restaurant Barshu, and coming from a prestigious career in Beijing and Shanghai, the food here is authentic to the bones.Īctually authenticity in Sichuanese usually means more than just bones. If you’re looking for something a cut above Haidilao, Tian Fu is your go. You’ll have chances to dip into the fancier realms of dining with things like oysters topped with caviar, but really you’re here for good old meat in a pot. Leo must be keeping some of the best stuff for himself though because Charco Charco sells itself on having the freshest of high-quality ingredients. In fact, he now supplies 90% of London’s Chinese restaurants. He came to the UK in the 90’s with just a few quid in his pocket and has gone on to be the UK’s largest importer of Asian foods. This marriage of hot pot and yakiniku in Covent Garden is the project of one heck of a success story. This isn’t the best hot pot in London, but it is a classic. Some of them are blow-your-brains-out hot, and others like the clear chicken and mushroom broths are more about comfort than heat. ![]() Once you’re in, you’ll find yourself a party to a feast of Sichuan flavours in various levels of spice. Expect to take a number and see that you’re behind about a hundred other hungry tables of Chinese exchange students. You can get free manicures, play board games, nibble on fresh fruit and snacks while you wait for a table to come free. ![]() On the streets of China, Haidilao is about as ubiquitous as McDonald’s or Starbucks.Įven with all those restaurants they can’t quench demand enough to abate queuing time and so cleverly added some free pastimes you can engage in while you wait for a table. A post shared by Haidilao Hotpot UK couldn’t write a guide about hotpot and not add in this old timer.
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