Tang Hotpot

Citywide hot-pot restaurants tend to be all-you-can-eat or budget-minded, which is good for the wallet but can also mean underwhelming broths and less-than-ideal experiences. In China, on the other hand, hot pot is big business. It’s the country’s most popular way to eat out, according to one report, and there are options for a range of budgets. (One chain, Haidilao, even offers massages and manicures for waiting customers.) At Tang Hotpot, to help upgrade ingredients and broth, they hired chef Yan Zhang, who previously worked at the 150-year-old Beijing roast-duck chain Quanjude Duck and Canadian hot-pot chain Morals Village. He’s created five different soups to choose from, including Sichuan Spicy Broth, made with a heavy dose of beef tallow. Dipping sauces include housemade sesame paste or shacha sauce, and four different combo platters to choose from. Meats include lamb-shoulder roll, goat leg, Wagyu strip loin, and plenty of offal (chicken gizzard and pork brain are both accounted for). Lots of fish are up for grabs, too, including tiger prawns and lobster, as well as the usual assortment of vegetables (celtuce, watercress) and starches (sweet-pumpkin rice cakes, tofu skin). To cool down after dipping meats into bubbling broth, go for scoops from Chinatown Ice Cream Factory (black sesame, lychee rose, or taro) or matcha-and-black-sesame shaved snow. Or just pace yourself with cold-dish appetizers like shredded bamboo in chile oil or boneless duck feet with wasabi.