Unlike the all-you-can eat buffet and
great simmering bowls of downtown’s Taiwanese-style Hot Pot City (see
page 19), Beijing Hot Pot is a communal affair: A bowl of broth is
placed in the center of the table over a gas burner, and diners order
various bits of raw meat, fish and vegetables to cook in it. It’s a
slow, luxurious way to eat, and the broth grows richer with each
addition. Order the spicy broth, which isn’t all that spicy, and the
combination for two (it comes with beef, pork, a pile of veggies,
chicken meatballs and handmade noodles, all for $24.95). If you’re
feeling flush, add on the shrimp balls ($6.95), which are made to order
and taste astonishingly fresh, with a nice chewy-then-crunchy texture.
Cook the noodles last, and slurp them down with the remaining broth.
Then fall asleep.
Copyright 2013 Willamette Week Newspaper & WWEEK.COM
