Shuang Shuang // Shaftesbury Avenue, London Chinatown

Shuang Shuang located on the edge of Chinatown is a specialist hot pot restaurant and my go to place for a quick and easy food to sit down and eat whilst being hearty and comforting at the same time.

From its origins in Mongolia, the hot pot style of eating has spread to all corners of Asia where each country develops their own culture and tastes around the cuisine and making it their own with their own name for the dish. Different names for the cuisine ranges from Shabu Shabu to Steamboat and to Da Bin Lo (打邊爐). Whatever you call it, the core principles are the same all over. You start with your broth in a large pot centred at the table being kept hot either with coal, gas, or an electric hob. Surrounding the dish you have a selection of raw meats, veg, and seafood in which each person picks and chooses items to lower into the hot broth to cook. The beauty about this method of cooking is that the food is essentially cooked to order, you’re in control of the meal, and the stock tastes phenominal due to all the items you have been cooking in it!

DSC_0522The restaurant itself is new and the interior has an open feeling about it with the high ceiling on the ground dining floor. The whole dining room is centred around a track circuit where the ingredients travel around the room waiting to be picked up and seating wraps all around the track. Whilst the restaurant is centred around individual hot pots, there are booths on the first floor for group bookings. Each station has an induction heater where your broth pot sits with a panel next to it where you can control the heat. You are also equipped with mini bamboo tongs, chopsticks and a wire hot pot scoop.

DSC_0523To begin your hot pot adventure you must first choose your flavoured broth to cook your food in alongside your dipping sauce. You can either choose pre-made dipping sauce or choose to make your own and will give you a variety of ingedients to mix yourself.

The foodstuff is your standard hot pot classics such as marinaded beef, lamb, fish and beef balls in addition to some more exotic items such as beef tripe, deep fried tofu, and Luncheon meat. Vegetables are available from a mushroom medley, mixed leaves, and root veg set whilst the carbs from a whoe selecton of egg noodles, noodle knots, and more including instant ramen!

DSC_0534DSC_0533DSC_0532The process of service is once your stock has arrived and has started to boil in your individual pot you then start picking out your ingredients from a conveyor belt infront of you much like a sushi bar. It is then up to you what order you put your ingredients in and how many at a time using your bamboo mini tongs to lower the indredients into the broth to cook and soak up the flavours. Once cooked you then scoop your food out of the broth and into your bowl and then you can either dunk your food into your dip or you can choose to savour the food on its own.

DSC_0530Each cover on the plate is stickered with a suggested cooking time for each individual item to ensure that your food is sufficiently cooked prior to eating to avoid any stomach upsets.

Once you’ve had your fill you then call over your waiter who will then tally up your plates to work out your final bill. All the foods are presented on coloured plates which correspond to a set price depending on the food.

DSC_0536It’s a great place to grab a quick bite and gain a bit of respite from the hustle and bustle of central London.

 

Shuang Shuang Website

64 Shaftesbury Ave
London W1D 6LU