Hot Pot is a brand new restaurant, introducing a new way to dine in London. I’m always up for trying new things and my visit to Hot Pot in China Town was unlike anything else I’ve tried.
You can find Hot Pot at 17 Wardour Street, which is right near the W Hotel in Leceister Square (close to M&M world for all you chocolate lovers!) You’ll see it right next to the Chinese gate into Chinatown. Perfect to pop in if you’re wandering about the busy area, or if you fancy a cosy dinner with friends in Soho.
It’s super pretty inside and I fell in love with these little tiles (pictured). There’s an assortment of different table sizes and types to fit your needs. What I liked the most is that you’re close enough to other tables to create an atmosphere, but not so close that you feel squished up against strangers!
Hot Pot, whilst being the name of the restaurant, is also a way of dining. Trust me, it was as new to me as it is to you now. Hot Pot dining began in Mongolia over 1000 years ago (so I’m pretty late in catching onto this trend) and then it began moving across Asia as it’s such a communal and sociable way to eat.
So how does Hot Pot work? Well, I’ll tell you!
- You pick your broth, which will be brought to your table. You then wait for this to boil.
- You make your own dipping sauce from the wide selection of ingredients to eat with your cooked ingredients. You can visit the sauce station as often as you wish so I’d advise that you mix up loads of different dips!
- You choose meat, fish and vegetables, whatever you fancy. Once this comes to the table you cook it in the broth until cooked to your preference. (Tip: Cook the ingredients that take the longest first if you wish to eat them together) Now dip into your own tailored sauces.
- The broth will become flavoured during your meal. When you find the flavour has developed, try adding noodles and enjoying your enriched broth as soup.
How cool is that?! You get to cook your own food at the table!
If it’s your first time hot pot-ing, I would definitely recommend getting the Tom Yum broth and getting the seafood selection so you get to try a bit of everything.
I now understand why Hot Pot caught on and moved across Thailand, Vietnam, Korea and China- it’s just so sociable! Whether you’re chatting about what to order, how it works or how it tastes, you are definitely chatting throughout the whole meal. What a perfect way to dine with friends!
I would definitely recommend going to Hot Pot if you’re thinking of having a big fun meal with pals or for an intimate date night where you guys can have fun cooking together.
My first, but definitely not my last trip to Hot Pot.
(Photo credit: Myself, Rob Grieg and Bim Hjortronsteen)
