Despite the slew of restaurant closures that you see on the news these days, there is also a considerable amount of new openings. One such opening is The New Hotpot, situated at Acacia Ridge, second store in the chain (the original is in Gold Coast), and probably the only Chaoshan style hot pot in Brisbane right now. Ordinarily, I would have waited to try it out, but a friend was very keen and noted that they have a grand opening special of 12% off in the month of June, so off we went.
One of the main reasons I was also captivated by this place was because it was so unbelievably popular. I had seen a considerable amount of posts on social media and they made it very clear that without a booking, patrons will be turned away. We only managed to snag a table for Tuesday night at 7.30pm, at which point the place was (and remained) entirely full. Decor was very basic and it was evident that they had a much stronger focus on serving good food rather than making the place look nice, which I can definitely agree with.
The menu was short, with one page entirely comprising of beef cuts and the other side provided three soup options, veggies and sides.
Sauces were limited to chilli garlic, satay, soybean and soy sauce, complimentary and readily available on the table.
Our food arrived almost instantly to our table and it was filled up entirely. For those uninitiated to the joys of Chaoshan hot pot, there are a few significant differences that make it stand out from our usual sichuan style hot pot. Firstly, the soup base is extremely light in taste, with delicate flavours from bone broth. Secondly the sauces on option are also light in taste to allow for the original flavours of the ingredients to shine. Thirdly Chaoshan hot pot has a strong focus on hand cut beef. Indeed the menu at The New Hot Pot did not offer any alternatives for protein.
We ordered the original beef bone soup so that we could better appreciate the broth. We were given the option of adding turnip and corn, which came in the pot. As advertised, the broth was definitely very delicate, reminding me of Korean beef bone soup. It reminds me a lot of hot pot soup from home and didn't have any MSG taste to it.
Other sides we ordered included enoki mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, deep fried tofu skins, fresh tofu and tripe. Portion sizes were adequate for the price in the current economic climate. Ingredients were tasty and undoubtedly fresh given the high turnover.
We also had a serve of beef tendon balls and tong ho. The tendon balls didn't taste particularly different to beef balls, even though they were a little bit more expensive. The tong ho was also fresh and intense in flavour.
Whilst the sides were good, the main event for us was definitely the beef platter, comprising of 350g each of rump, brisket, shin and oyster blade. None of these came with signage, so the best we could do was make an educated guess as to which cut each was.
The beef was cooked in the giant strainer in the pot to ensure it wasn't overcooked. Being hand cut meant that it was definitely thicker than machine sliced. The meat itself was tender and fresh, complimenting the garlic and chilli sauce well. Having said that, growing up in a home environment where hot pot is a frequent event, the beef tastes hardly any different from the hand sliced variety my mum often serves.
Overall it was a good experience for me to check out the new restaurant to see what all the hype is about. Whilst my experience as definitely a positive one, the taste and flavours were light, delicate and homey to the point where it tastes no different than a hot pot I would have at home. In consideration of this, I probably won't be back, simply because I can have the same for free at home on request. For those without a mum to prepare this kind of dinner, I would recommend you try it out!
Price Range: $45 - $55pp
Value: 7/10
Service: 8/10
Environment: 6/10
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