 |
 |
Asian Hotpot
| Healthy, tasty, and fun! Hotpot restaurants have arrived in the islands! |  |
Like so many things, hotpot is usually considered a Chinese creation, but has since spread like wildfire to virtually every country in Asia. The Japanese hotpot, called nabe, is listed in its own section, while Korean hotpot is, along with yakiniku, widely available in most better Korean restaurants on the island. Representative hotpot restaurants with leanings towards various other Asian countries are listed here.
Hotpot, basically, is a pot of boiling broth or water, via table-top burners situated on each table, in which raw meats and vegetables are added and cooked by diners themselves. Most, but not all, utilize large refrigerated cases in which you choose raw items sitting on various color-coded plates, each priced accordingly. Plates are then tallied-up at the end of the night for a final price.
Da Big Boy'z: Sweet Home Cafe is generally considered the best hotpot on the island, but you're probably in for a good wait just to get a seat! Besides, all the others are also very good, and without the hassle of crowds! Thai-leaning Shabu-Shabu Bangkok is easily the most elegant and upscale of this genre.
Sweet Home Cafe. 2334 S. King St. in McCully/Moiliili. 947-3707. Dinner nightly. Parking in Center lot. Prices: $$$. Map. This Taiwanese restaurant is the first non-Japanese-style hot-pot eatery to catch-on here in Honolulu, and is also the most popular. Each and every night, throngs wait outside, hoping for a seat and chance to try the many delicious broths, such as chicken, beef tomato, spicy, and healthy herb, along with a bevy of meats, vegetables, dipping sauces, and exotic specialties like beef tongue, pork blood cake, intestines, and cheddar meatballs. After choosing one or two broth types, large refrigerators contain color-coded plates of various items to be cooked, and plates are tallied afterwards for a final price. Vanishing broth is re-filled, bowls of rice are bottomless, and a fabulous shave ice, which comes with condensed milk, jellies, mochi, and other sweet treats, are all included in the price! The many Chinese folks dining here attest to the fact that Sweet Home Café is the real deal, with its kind and friendly owners, whose parents run a hot-pot eatery in Taiwan, having to import many of their items straight from Taiwan since they are difficult to find through normal vendors. It’s also byob, in case you’re interested!
 |
Casual and comfy, Hot Pot Heaven is a great alternative to the crowds at Sweet Home Cafe! |
Hot Pot Heaven. A Closer Look. 1960 Kapiolani Blvd. at the McCully S.C. 941-1115. Lunch and dinner daily, late-night till 12am Friday and Saturday. Parking in Center lot. Prices: $$$. Map. With popular Sweet Home Café open only at night and always crowded, Hot Pot Heaven is a respectable alternative found on the first floor of the McCully Shopping Center. Ten different broths await, such as miso, kimchee, Thai, seafood, and even a Hawaiian, which is a chicken broth flavored with pineapple and garnished with shallot crisps. During lunch, broth prices are half-price! The kind owners here pride themselves in crossing cultural divides here, with representative flavors from all over Asia and Hawaii, particularly Vietnam. As in most hot-pot stops, there are the familiar arrangements of large refrigerated cases of meats, veggies, and other items, all on separate, color-coded plates signifying prices. Items to be cooked by diners can include lobster balls, mahimahi portions, pork, beef, king crab, cabbage, noodles, and even a delicious house-made wonton.
| Easily the most elegant restaurant in this genre is Thai-leaning Shabu Shabu Bangkok. |  |
Shabu Shabu Bangkok. 949 Kapahulu Av. in Kapahulu. 732-7666. Dinner nightly. Parking behind Store. Prices: $$$. Map. Located at the former Toraji yakiniku restaurant, Shabu Shabu Bangkok is the Thai spin to the hotpot craze hitting the islands. The assortment of Thai statues, paintings, dark-rich woods, ambient lighting, and flower arrangements give it a more elegant and upscale atmosphere than other hotpots on the island, which are usually very much casual and low-key. They are also different from others in this class because you order platters or individual plates from a menu instead of picking and choosing yourself from a refrigerated cooler. Items are pretty much what you’d expect in a hotpot, but excellent broths like spicy tom yum and yellow curry exemplify the Thai leanings. And byob, btw!
