Melbourne's Best Hot Pots
This is fabulous if you are a heat-addict, but your partner breaks out in a sweat at the mere thought of a chilli. OK, this is key if you have people who don’t eat chilli or have a vegetarian pot going. Don’t mix cooking ladles from one pot with another, or everything will mix to become one chilli hotpot Melbourne火锅 mess. There’s nothing wrong with sampling other soup bases – in fact, it’s encouraged – just use another spare ladle. It may seem overwhelming at first – between the soup bases, the dipping sauces, the frozen meats, the fish balls… there are literally millions of possible combinations.
All that's left is to decide which one you'll dive into first. This is a great choice for some of the best Sichuan food in Melbourne if you’re looking to fill up on a budget. Perhaps the heat of Sichuan cooking is too much for you? If you feel like something milder, take a look at our guide to Yum Cha Restaurants in Melbourne.
Our tip is to try their signature stir-fry spicy pot – it’s a dry version of their famous soup base that uses over 20 kinds of Chinese herbs and spices for a fiery kick. Remember to ask for a complimentary bowl of steamed white rice for a match made in malatang heaven. Mookata hotpot comes on a gas burner with a raised grill plate in the centre of the appliance. Pros grease the grill with a chunk of lard and pour stock into the moat surrounding the grill. Your best bets for mookata are Nana Thai BBQ & Hotpot on Bourke Street and Soi 38, tucked away in the car park off Mcilwraith Place. Next door to Nana is Thai Tide, which offers giant tom yum and tom leng saap hotpots.
By now, your broth will have needed a bit of topping up with chicken stock or hot water. But should be deliciously rich and flavourful from the previous ingredients. This is the perfect time to cook our carbs to soak up this broth. In a sea of beautiful seafood and delicious sliced meat, I always go for the fish and meat balls. They may be cheap, but they taste a million dollars to me and I know I’m not alone.
Periodically add ingredients in the soup like mussels or fish balls as you like, but it’s always polite to add more than just your portion. As someone will always want to try some (and it’s honestly part of the fun). So if you find something in the broth that you didn’t put in, ask around if anyone’s waiting for something to cook.
Aim for 4 or 5 people per pot and 8 is always my magic number. There’s enough for two pots and enough variety so you can have a bit of everything. That’s why cooking a hot pot is perfect for a night with friends or your housemates. If anyone knows authentic Sichuan cuisine, it’s Chef David! Chef David opened its first restaurant under the name David’s Hotpot, with the goal of sharing Sichuan flavours with the people of Melbourne. Now they are firing up the barbecue and tempting the tastebuds of the CBD with a brand new Sichuan Barbecue grill menu.
One thing I definitely recommend is fresh fish paste. These can come in a packet frozen in your favourite Asian supermarket. But it’s “fresh” in that you need to shape them into fish balls yourself. Some Chinese fish mongers even pride themselves in making their own when it’s hot pot season.
After plenty of hard work, Chef David became the head chef after progressing his way up the ranks in the kitchen. He also ran his own soup base factory with his friends while concurrently travelling to more than 20 provinces across the country – from Xinjiang to Tibet. Little Sichuan, Dainty’s new brand, opened in Melbourne’s CBD QV shopping center in January 2017.
There are pots that come with a divider in the middle that allows you to have two soup bases in one pot. If anyone knows authentic Sichuan cuisine, it’s Chef David Li. Chef David has been experimenting with Sichuan flavours since he was 14 years old. Now the executive chef at his titular restaurant, he creates recipes and trains the talented chefs in the kitchen. Ten Miles Melbourne is the perfect meeting place for food lovers.
Start creating a personalised itinerary — or add to an existing list. Save it, share it and take it with you on your next local adventure. Save and share your favourite picks and make plans to go out with friends. Go-to restaurant for lovers of Chinese and Sichuan cuisine.
The recurring theme here is Chengdu, the capital of southwestern China's Sichuan province with a history dating back to at least the 4th century B.C. It's also the breeding ground of China's most famous giant pandas. It so happens that the hot pot also originated in Chengdu, and therein lies the clue to the name of the restaurant.
DescriptionTo say «eyes make the first bite» is particularly accurate regarding Chinese cuisine. The cooks that are working in Spice World Hot Pot Melbourne (rated 4.9 on NiceLocal) know that the skillful use of fresh animal meat, wheat or rice products and vegetables will create tastes that are just as memorable. By tradition, Chinese food is made to be consumed with chopsticks (aside from soups, of course!), so be sure to ask for those if you are accustomed to them. Ordering is simple, order a soup base , order some dishes from the menu (Panda Hot Pot recommends 4-5 dishes per person), create your own dipping sauce from the array of sauces on the table, and you're good to go. Any Asian supermarket worth their salt in Australia will have a hot pot aisle where you can find a variety of pre-made soup bases.
All you can eat buffets, give you an option of dining on limitless hotpot for 2 hours – available from 11.30am, or wait until 5pm for the A La Carte menu to begin. China Chilli has many vegetarian and gluten free options and of course a wide range of spicy food. Just like soup bases, everyone has a favourite brand, but for me, it’s Aussie-made institution Hakka. Their fish cakes are legendary, and for hot pot, they have a whole range of bursting fish balls, “royal” pork balls (pork & mushroom) and more that will set you up for success.
All that's left is to decide which one you'll dive into first. This is a great choice for some of the best Sichuan food in Melbourne if you’re looking to fill up on a budget. Perhaps the heat of Sichuan cooking is too much for you? If you feel like something milder, take a look at our guide to Yum Cha Restaurants in Melbourne.
Our tip is to try their signature stir-fry spicy pot – it’s a dry version of their famous soup base that uses over 20 kinds of Chinese herbs and spices for a fiery kick. Remember to ask for a complimentary bowl of steamed white rice for a match made in malatang heaven. Mookata hotpot comes on a gas burner with a raised grill plate in the centre of the appliance. Pros grease the grill with a chunk of lard and pour stock into the moat surrounding the grill. Your best bets for mookata are Nana Thai BBQ & Hotpot on Bourke Street and Soi 38, tucked away in the car park off Mcilwraith Place. Next door to Nana is Thai Tide, which offers giant tom yum and tom leng saap hotpots.
By now, your broth will have needed a bit of topping up with chicken stock or hot water. But should be deliciously rich and flavourful from the previous ingredients. This is the perfect time to cook our carbs to soak up this broth. In a sea of beautiful seafood and delicious sliced meat, I always go for the fish and meat balls. They may be cheap, but they taste a million dollars to me and I know I’m not alone.
Periodically add ingredients in the soup like mussels or fish balls as you like, but it’s always polite to add more than just your portion. As someone will always want to try some (and it’s honestly part of the fun). So if you find something in the broth that you didn’t put in, ask around if anyone’s waiting for something to cook.
Aim for 4 or 5 people per pot and 8 is always my magic number. There’s enough for two pots and enough variety so you can have a bit of everything. That’s why cooking a hot pot is perfect for a night with friends or your housemates. If anyone knows authentic Sichuan cuisine, it’s Chef David! Chef David opened its first restaurant under the name David’s Hotpot, with the goal of sharing Sichuan flavours with the people of Melbourne. Now they are firing up the barbecue and tempting the tastebuds of the CBD with a brand new Sichuan Barbecue grill menu.
One thing I definitely recommend is fresh fish paste. These can come in a packet frozen in your favourite Asian supermarket. But it’s “fresh” in that you need to shape them into fish balls yourself. Some Chinese fish mongers even pride themselves in making their own when it’s hot pot season.
After plenty of hard work, Chef David became the head chef after progressing his way up the ranks in the kitchen. He also ran his own soup base factory with his friends while concurrently travelling to more than 20 provinces across the country – from Xinjiang to Tibet. Little Sichuan, Dainty’s new brand, opened in Melbourne’s CBD QV shopping center in January 2017.
There are pots that come with a divider in the middle that allows you to have two soup bases in one pot. If anyone knows authentic Sichuan cuisine, it’s Chef David Li. Chef David has been experimenting with Sichuan flavours since he was 14 years old. Now the executive chef at his titular restaurant, he creates recipes and trains the talented chefs in the kitchen. Ten Miles Melbourne is the perfect meeting place for food lovers.
Start creating a personalised itinerary — or add to an existing list. Save it, share it and take it with you on your next local adventure. Save and share your favourite picks and make plans to go out with friends. Go-to restaurant for lovers of Chinese and Sichuan cuisine.
The recurring theme here is Chengdu, the capital of southwestern China's Sichuan province with a history dating back to at least the 4th century B.C. It's also the breeding ground of China's most famous giant pandas. It so happens that the hot pot also originated in Chengdu, and therein lies the clue to the name of the restaurant.
DescriptionTo say «eyes make the first bite» is particularly accurate regarding Chinese cuisine. The cooks that are working in Spice World Hot Pot Melbourne (rated 4.9 on NiceLocal) know that the skillful use of fresh animal meat, wheat or rice products and vegetables will create tastes that are just as memorable. By tradition, Chinese food is made to be consumed with chopsticks (aside from soups, of course!), so be sure to ask for those if you are accustomed to them. Ordering is simple, order a soup base , order some dishes from the menu (Panda Hot Pot recommends 4-5 dishes per person), create your own dipping sauce from the array of sauces on the table, and you're good to go. Any Asian supermarket worth their salt in Australia will have a hot pot aisle where you can find a variety of pre-made soup bases.
All you can eat buffets, give you an option of dining on limitless hotpot for 2 hours – available from 11.30am, or wait until 5pm for the A La Carte menu to begin. China Chilli has many vegetarian and gluten free options and of course a wide range of spicy food. Just like soup bases, everyone has a favourite brand, but for me, it’s Aussie-made institution Hakka. Their fish cakes are legendary, and for hot pot, they have a whole range of bursting fish balls, “royal” pork balls (pork & mushroom) and more that will set you up for success.
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