Melbourne's Best Hot Pots

It was not your normal hot pot broth taste which is generally a good stock with added flavours from the meats you boil in it, in little mini mesh baskets hanging off the sides of the pot. I could taste subtlety of flavours and from all accounts, my friend was also salivating and giving her stir fry high praise. We have vowed to come back again and again, as it'll always be different each time, depending on the combinations of ingredients you've picked. Plus the choice of spending what you want is a big drawcard. Though be warned, with so many delicious choices, you could be opting for a heavier meal than you realise.
In June 2003, Dainty Sichuan Cuisine opened at Smith Street in Collingwood, Melbourne. Has now developed into a Tianfu Sichuan restaurant, Tianfu boutique hot pot, Tianfu noodle shop, Tianfu Li Mian several brands such as Chinese food companies. The staff who took care of us were attentive and helpful with information, especially young Joey . If you've never done this before and a little mini pot lost about what to put in your bowl to bring it all together and taste good, remember that all 100 ingredients are there, because they all go well in a hot pot. The rest is up to you as to how much protein to vegetable ratio you'd like to taste in your hotpot. The beancurd noodles were amazing too, so you don't have to load up on carbs by having beancurd or no noodles in your bowl.

Some may baulk at chickens feet and duck's blood, but blood sausages and Polish ducks blood soup and such like has been around for a long time. The good news is, you put what you want in your bowl and the rest is for the intrepid foodie who wants a journey of adventure on their palate. Opening till the early hours of the morning, its the place to get spicy after midnight, and go home satisfied.
It’s by no means the cheapest hot pot in the city, but the depth of the mala broth alone justifies the visit. Plus a five-course Southeast Asian feast ; luxe cheesy picnic hampers to take to the park; braised pork belly with jiggly Vietnamese coffee crème caramel for dessert; and any of 85 ingredients cooked in your pick of flavour-packed broth. Unlike many hot pot restaurants, Xiaolongkan also offers some desserts, including handmade rice cakes coated in brown sugar and mantou dipped in condensed milk. But whether it's called huo guo, jeongol, shabu shabu, suki or lau, what is universal is that hot pot involves gathering around a fragrant bowl of broth simmering over a portable gas stove with your nearest and dearest. It is a big restaurant which is quite popular among the Chinese community in Melbourne.

Dishes like pad Thai, and tom yum soup show off a sweet and sour broth with instant noodles, a range of toppings like prawns and  calamari and a raw egg immersed on top. All imported ingredients are fresh and selected from the origin place in China. We prepare at least a hundred different kinds of strings every day. Think of it as the Asian version of fondue – a bubbling pot of broth sits in the middle of the table surrounded by platters of meat, seafood and vegetables, all ready to be cooked in a cauldron of soup.
Sukiyaki is traditionally cooked in a cast-iron pot with a sweeter soy sauce-based broth. Masuya Suisan's version comes with David Blackmore's full-blood wagyu bolar blade cut that has a marbling score of 9+ and, like the shabu shabu, it's paired with seasonal vegetables . At Hansang, the larger hot pots come with two bowls of black rice designed to be shared.
"Everyone likes to eat differently, but I like to put in the fish and harder vegetables first, as they take longer to cook," he says. The hot pot soup "gives you that kick", predominantly from the sharpness of tamarind but also the sweetness that's found in the Thai tom yum soup. Hong Kong Bing Sutt has been serving classic Hong Kong dishes for seven years, and this winter it's brought a truly local dish to Sydneysiders – chicken hot pot. Invented in Hong Kong about two decades ago, the "Chonqing chicken pot" features bite-sized pieces of chicken braised in a spicy sauce with red onion, shallot, chilli, lotus root and bean sprouts. Beef Rice Noodle is a characteristic meal in Guizhou province of China, the most famous one comes from Huaxi of Guizhou. Superior cattle are selected then use the medullary bone to cook the soup base, with smooth steam rice noodle and fragrance beef, put on appetizer pickled vegetables, dotted with fresh cilantro and specialized minced chili.

Seafood reigns supreme here with street food-style menu options like spicy stir-fried pips, oysters or Thai seafood fried rice. For dessert, munch on the cutest rabbit-shaped pannacotta or try one of Thailand’s most beloved dishes – mango sticky rice. Then, you’ll get an individual pot filled with the broth of your choice, which means it’s time to grab any of the ingredients on the conveyor belt. With a selection of abalone, black-truffle prawn balls, mushroom parcels and fresh tofu, it’s an all-you-can-cook adventure. If you’re still feeling a bit peckish, there are even ready-to-eat dishes on the train, with options like spicy cold noodles, fresh oysters and plates of sushi and sashimi. An array of dipping ingredients – meat, seafood, vegetables and noodles – are cooked together in a vat of soup.
Save it, share it and take it with you on your next local adventure. Mix and match your  own toppings, with fragrant herbs and spices. Discover the best shopping spots, Christmas catch-up ideas and tips for the festive season. Find the perfect pressie for your special people with gift ideas for all budgets and interests.

Next door to Nana is Thai Tide, which offers giant tom yum and tom leng saap hotpots. The latter is a hard-to-find dish with meaty pork spines piled up in tangy broth with loads of makrut lime, lemongrass, and galangal. Chef Jerry Mai’s rowdy Vietnamese beer hall, Bia Hoi, might be quiet for now, but in the kitchen her team is cooking up a storm. The Bia Hoi at Home menu features a four-course meal for two people that’s easy to finish at home, with dishes changing fortnightly.  Each iteration draws on the comfort food Mai’s mum used to cook for the whole family.
It’s a colourful spot with blue neon signage and bamboo baskets in the window, a modern-industrial fit out and laneway tables.  Lau comes with rare sliced beef, mushrooms, fish cakes and seasonal vegetables. Goat and seafood hot pot respectively – are two of the country’s more popular variations, the heady aromatics of the former often balanced out with copious greens and a sharp accompanying sauce. We caught David’s in a rare rainy Tuesday lull between lunch and dinner service, but for the most part you’ll find it heaving with Chinese university students day and night.
If luxury hot pot is your scene, The Dolar Shop  in Chinatown provides a premium experience for diners. Originating from Macau, the city of casinos and high rollers a short ferry ride from Hong Kong, this hot pot specialist also screams excess with its ingredients and service. The chicken is cooked in the pot first, braised in a chilli spice mix with the red shallots, red onions and lotus root. You eat some of the braised chicken and then, when you're ready for soup, the broth is added.