Hong Kong’s trendy hotpot destination The Drunken Pot has a whole new range to ring in the Year of the Rat this Chinese New Year.
At outlets in Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay try ‘Flowers on Fish Maw & Chicken with Chinese Medicine Pot’. The fish maw and chicken based hotpot symbolises good fortune – from fish-shaped squid paste, bringing more earnings than spending in the upcoming year, to lotus, chicken, mushroom and Jinhua ham. A delightful surprise is also in store on serving, with mini-Tientsin Pakchoi miraculously blooming like a flower, representing prosperity blossom, when the hot broth is poured into the pot.
Other delicacies include ‘Raise the Red Lantern’ – artistically-carved carrots and chives stuffed with cheese and squid paste; ‘Golden Rat Dumplings’ with either pork and crab roe or vegan pork and asparagus lettuce; ‘Big Four Happiness’ – a dim sum-style steamer basket with steamed vegetarian dumplings with separate pockets of carrot, sweet corn, black fungus and asparagus lettuce, served as a perfect appetiser.
Since abstaining from eating meat on the first day of Chinese New Year is believed to enhance longevity, the Evergreen Vegan Potis come in over 30 choices of vegetable and mushroom options. Also on the menu is ‘Lo Hei’ The Drunken Pot’s contemporary version of the auspicious ‘prosperity toss’ salad, with shredded salmon, tuna, cucumber, carrots, dragon fruit and eggs. For a sweet ending it’s the ‘The Drunken Dog’, a new chocolate mousse in a choice of two flavours, matcha (green tea) or dark chocolate.
To round-off the festive celebrations, The Drunken Pot has recently welcomed veteran noodle master Chef FK Ho to entertain guests demonstrating his noodle pulling skills – with a wonderfully chewy texture perfect to enjoy with any choice of dishes.
The Drunken Pot (Causeway Bay) is open throughout Chinese New Year from noon to midnight, and The Drunken Pot (Tsim Sha Tsui) is closed only on the first day of lunar new year (www.thedrunkenpot.com)
