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| - For people who know hot pot, guys, this place is too legit to quit!!!! For those who haven't had hot pot, the rest of this review is for you:
Do you enjoy spicy broth and eating discrete items? Would you like a nice hot meal on a cold rainy day? Are you a naturally slow eater and wish your meal would stay hot at your leisure? Ever had the unique experience of slurping piping hot noodle soup to sweat out an even hotter summer? If these things apply to you...do I need to tell you to read on?
For those new to hot pot, aka shabu shabu, aka Chinese fondue, it might seem scary at first. There is no compromise here at Mini Hot Pot, although the servers are kind and willing to help. The one nontraditional aspect that stands out is you get your own personal pot instead of a family-style cauldron, but personal pots are more in vogue these days. All you need is to embrace your inner capitalist and individualist!!
I recommend getting one of the set meals. You can always come back and order items a la carte, but it's just simpler if you haven't been here before. There's a range of options including seafood and vegetarian, but if you're omnivore go with beef or pork. Select the broth you want -- the Szechuan is not for the weak ("spicy numb" hot). As you're waiting for your ingredients to arrive, head over to the self serve station to create your own dipping sauce. Everyone has their own way; for me, I go with half a ladle each of sesame paste and Taiwanese bbq sauce, a dab of hoisin, a pinch of cilantro and green onion, a splash of soy sauce and vinegar, and a few dribbles of sesame oil. You'll figure it out. Pick up an empty plate too, and head back to your seat.
Hot pot is all about timing. Once your plate of goodies arrive, put in the heartier looking stuff like the corn, tofu, nappa cabbage, fish cakes, and mini hotdogs. The extra plate you have serves as a holding station for goodies freshly pulled from the broth, to cool off before eating, or to avoid overcooking. Stuff you want to be careful about leaving in the pot too long include: spinach, imitation crab leg, vermicelli, and those ribbons of beef or pork you ordered.
When done cooking, dip your items into your sauce and enjoy. For those leveling up on sauce, bring a raw egg from the self serve station back to your seat, and using the two halves of your cracked egg shell, separate the egg white into your boiling pot for eating later. Plop the yolk into your sauce dish, and stir.
If your soup boils down and gets too salty, ask the servers for more broth. Don't forget the noodle bar, which is part of the set meal. They have rice noodles, vermicelli (sweet potato), and udon (wheat). This step is key for people who don't get full easily. Pile some onto a plate, dunk in broth and enjoy. Finally, in true Chinese tradition, top your meal off with some fresh fruit, it was strawberries the day I went, and voila! Mini Hot Pot experience accomplished.
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