NVM Review

By Warren Rojas

Thanks for making me feel so … WASP-y,” one companion sputtered while frantically mopping her brow as I greedily slurped the liquid fire a-stewing before us at Uncle’s Liu’s Hot Pot.

Whereas sibling establishment Hong Kong Palace made its name with secret menus, Liu’s stakes its claim to fame right there in the title.

Each hot pot—those bubbling, churning gateways of create-your-own-adventure dining—begins with simmering chicken broth. Patrons then customize each bowl by plopping in the priced-per-portion additives of their choosing, a supporting cast that flows from “Green Acres” (mushrooms, bean sprouts, cabbage) to “Fear Factor” (duck feet, fish heads, beef tendon). That’s not to mention all the gratis condiments (diced garlic, cilantro, red tofu sauce, oyster sauce).

Each cauldron can also be partitioned into spicy (pre-stocked with whole and crushed chile peppers) and mild (seasoned with onions) halves, assuaging those who prefer to ease into hot potting.

Fried pork arrives cold. But the breaded bites emerge saturated with broth to their meaty core. Enoki mushrooms blossom into de facto noodles, their incredibly absorbent stalks fanning out across the bowl.

And don’t worry too much about the complainer. She got to cross “consuming pork blood” off her bucket list by the end of our meal.