Craving for some authentic hotpot? XiongQi (pronounced as 'Song Chee) Hotpot is renowned for serving tasty and authentic hotpot across the UK. The homophonic "XIONG QI," meaning "fighting," has distinct Sichuan and Chongqing traits. XIONG QI hotpot cooking is based on a classic early 1940s handicraft. In the last ten years, ChuQiMen Chili Cool has been dedicated to creating and researching hotpot techniques.
Topping the list of the most popular hotpots in 2019, you can dine in five franchises located in major cities in the UK.
As is typical in a hotpot restaurant, walking in was quite an experience because the windows were fogged up with condensation from all the hotpots cooking inside. Another point is that the scent of spices permeates the air, making it difficult to breathe and causing you to want to drink immediately. However, if you are sensitive to smoke, they have an outdoor seating option which is fantastic. Furthermore, the restaurant's ambience will make you feel as if you are dining in a local Chinese restaurant. The cuisine is pretty authentic, with a variety of unusual selections such as duck blood tofu and various animal and veggie entrails. There are also a variety of vegetarian choices available.
When it comes to the most important aspect of dining at a hotpot restaurant, the cooking process, nobody really explains how to cook the meats and vegetables, so you'll have to ask. So, if you're going to a hotpot restaurant for the first time, it's ideal to go with someone who's knowledgeable about hotpots and knows what to order. However, if you approach the staff and inquire about the cooking process, they will be delighted to explain it to you. Please note that getting the staff's attention is tough, but once you do, they do an excellent job of carefully explaining what to do.
For instance, the staff taught us how to make our dipping sauce by putting the garlic coriander and green onions into a small bowl and then adding the vinegar and soy sauce for the taste. After that, you can order food to cook yourself in the hotpot. You can order noodles or rice, one kind of vegetable, a portion of meat, and a tofu dish to cook. Some vegetables come in it for the broth, so if you only want to try something small, you can just order broth and noodles because it is already fulfilling.
We got the tomato broth, and it was delicious. It tasted exactly like a hot tomato soup, and the meats and vegetables that we cooked heightened the soup's flavor.
Please note that you can get more than one broth and mix the broth, but the problem was the menu was a bit difficult to understand how exactly it works.
Also, be aware that quite a lot of food comes, and you'd be sharing everything. So if you order meat and have vegetarians or vegans with you, it's pretty challenging because it will all be cooked in the same pot.
Lastly, they do have a good deal of set menus. In my opinion, it is best to get the set menus as it only costs about £45 more than separate menus, which would cost £40 to £50.
Overall, if you're up for a generous amount of food that is quite spicy and hot, then you can try to eat at XiongQi Hotpot.
