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2008-12-31
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To drive the weary winter blues away these days, you'll need two things -- 1. a group of foodie friends who will go anywhere to eat anything at any hour of the day, and 2. an organized gathering event where all the weary folks group together and kick the blues' sorry bottoms away. I'm most glad to have both to this day, as we planned our dinner having hot pot at 合興, where none of us have been there before.Upon arrival, I realized our table was on the second floor. Through a flight of dark narrow
Upon arrival, I realized our table was on the second floor. Through a flight of dark narrow stairs, we reached the room, which was brightly lit, and smelling of tea, boiling soup bases. I saw plates of freshly cut meat on every table. Seeing that, I expected to have a grand time, and I did. We ordered one soup base per table. Ours was a satay soup base while the other was a lighter base featuring carrots, sweet corn, waterchestnuts and tomato wedges. While determined to order everything n the menu, we ditched the tripe. Without further ado, dishes of meats bombarded us in continuous motion, while hunger hit us deeply enough that each dish's content failed to stay untouched for less than a minute.
The waitress was an extremel agreeable woman who reminded us how much time each ingredient needs to yield for optimum enjoyment. The beef cubes ($ ) needed exactl 10 minutes to become juicy. We counter down by the seconds. At exactly 10 minutes we picked on up and in we bit, juices bursting out as we in unison made an expression of satisfaction. Sliced eel ($52) and beef shanks ($168/ platter) were butterflied flat and needed not more than a few swivels in the broth for premium sweetness. Satay often went well with beef. The two platters of beef slices, varing by quality and fat distribution vanished in minutes too. Meatballs made with beef ($42) were made fresh while the shrimp ones ($62) were delightful with a bite to it. Dace-filled fried tofu ($42) were a contrast in texture, as the fish filling was dense against the soft fried tofu.
Goose intestines ($52) were a major disappointment. It was too fatty and had the tendency to overcook and tangle in clumps. Coral clams ($62) are sweet thin strips the colour of light orange offering an ocean-component for dinner. At this time the soup's running out through rapid boiling. Instead of adding water, we could see the waitress added a thick satay paste with hot broth to reseason the broth. The satay paste was of course, a trade secret. Upon several tasting, we spotted a strong punch of roasted peanuts, together with fried garlic, dried shrimps, red chilies and evaporated milk.. There may be an addition of desiccated coconut in it as well...
The 4-dumpling plate was satisfactory. While the pork dumplings and Shui Gau were so-so, the beef+ enoki mushroom dumplings and the chive variation happened to shine out eventually. We also added oysters to the mix ($138 for 7 giant ones). They were scrumptious as ever, with a delicate taste not masked by the strong nutty broth. Mashed cuttlefish ($50) was a pile of snow-white gooey "stuff" that got swiftly divided into the boiling broth. In minutes they float in forms of irregularly shaped fishy lumps that was elastic and soft at the same time. Fatty Pork shoulder ($52) resembled veal in colour, with the crisscrossing of fat graining across each shaving. The resulting slices were juicy and soft. We rounded out the evening with lettuce and watercress ($22 each). The broth, having absorbed the freshness in various meats, developed more depth in the flavour to go with its crisp green vegetables.
Sitting around a communion boiling pot sharing food on a cool winter night was oddly exhilarating, especiall when various chopsticks swiftly fished out/ harpooning floating cooked food and eating them piping hot. Some laughters were shared and conversations exchanged. I realized how much a good time it was, and it doesn't get any better than that.
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