香巴辣火锅 - Xiangbala Hotpot

The climate is practically balmy inside Xiangbala, all those simmering hotpots creating a heady fog of savoury goodness that hits you as you walk in the door. It’s a struggle to make your way through the crowd at this small restaurant, clearly loved by the local Chinese community. You’ll need to book if you want a pot of your own, served either in one deep dish for sharing or split down the middle, offering the choice of two differently flavoured bases. Once seated, the unassuming staff will explain how to order the raw ingredients which are then prepped for poaching in your chosen broth. There's a large selection of vegetables with some more adventurous choices such as lotus root, edible fungus and kelp. Seafood dominates with a bounty of razor clams, prawns, mussels, crab, squid, and a variety of fish balls to choose from. Meats come deli-thin sliced, the fat melting deliciously into the pot while cooking. This is fresh fun eating unparalleled in the city.