Popular a la carte Spicy Hot Pot Joints: Ning-Chi Store, Taihodien, Ding Wang, Qiao Tou

Ning-Chi Store

9, Lane 200, GuangFu S Rd
(02) 2772-1912
Hours: 11 am-2 pm,
5 pm-12 am
Credit cards accepted.
No service charge.
MRT: SYS Memorial #1 Exit

In the thousands of hot pot places around the island, Ning-Chi is well-known name that's been associated with good, spicy hot pot for over 30 years--they've even stuck with the same menu the whole time! The four owners, Ning-Chi, Yan, Lai, Chen and Zeng, started managing the store after the original owner, Mr. Jiang, retired. Passing by the restaurant, you can smell the appetizing aroma of hot pots (NT$110/person, serves 4+ people) before even getting to the door; the broth is stewed with beef bone, beef and chili powder for eight hours, and then combined with ingredients like duck's blood cake, onions and tofu. Apart from the super spicy choice, the soup also tastes a bit sweet towards the bottom, which is perhaps why you can always see patrons lining up to get their pots to go. Many regular patrons' favorite dish is Pig Intestines (NT$350). Others enjoy a meat set with ox stomach, pork intestines and scalded aorta; it costs NT$460 for a full-set and NT$230 for half. For beef dishes, the restaurant recommends their sliced beef plate (NT$600/whole, NT$300/half), uses thickly-sliced, imported beef. Even after 30 years, Ning-Chi is still serving up quality food to more-than-eager patrons. --By Joan Chang

Taihodien

315, XinYi Rd, Sec 4; (02) 2705-0909
Hours: 12 pm-3 am
Credit cards accepted.
MRT: DaAn
www.taihodien.com.tw

"We hope to welcome customers from all over the world and provide service fit for a king," says Taihodien owner Pandora. Named after the Hall of Supreme Harmony in Beijing's Forbidden City, Taihodien has served delicious spicy hot pot for 14 years and has restaurants all over Taiwan, with four main ones clustered together in Taipei. The restaurant offers diners a choice of Spicy Hot Pot (NT$300) and Divided Hot Pot (NT$350). The Spicy Hotpot is cooked by stewing bones for four hours with a variety of spices and herbs, including four types of chili peppers, to create a broth that is ideal for the winter months. Duck's blood cake, which is cleaned using four to six procedures, and tofu are also added. One of the Divided Hotpot's two soups is a milky broth made by boiling bones for 10 to 12 hours. Service is a priority at Taihodien, which offers a choice of beef or pork bone to cater to both Buddhist and Muslim customers. Most of the staff also speak Chinese, English and Japanese. Taihodien serves four grades of beef. Pandora recommends the Prime Beef (NT$600) and Short Rib (NT$500) delicious after the stew's natural flavors seep the meat. Another specialty is Pandora's often-imitated, deep-fried Shin-chu Mushroom Meat Ball (NT$120). Shrimp Balls (NT$120) and Ox Stomach (NT$300) are also popular choices. Diners are urged to mix Garlic Leaf (NT$60) and spring onions with the soup for enhanced flavor. There is a minimum charge of NT$1,000 per table. --By Dipal Khatri, photos by Andy Lin

Ding Wang

89, GuangFu N Rd
(close to NanJing E Rd)
(02) 2742-1166
Hours: 11-3 am
Credit cards accepted.
10% service charge.

In Taichung, you can always see a huge line of people waiting to go inside Ding Wang for a nice treat. After 16 years and hundreds of customer requests, Ding Wang's owner has finally decided to expand his business up north. The Taipei Ding Wang has a 180-ping delicately decorated interior. Chinese-style screens wait in the corners next to antique-style wooden tables and chairs, bamboo lambs, and glass walls. The servers, decked out in traditional Chinese dress, also add to the classy ambiance. The Ding Wang chain first started in Taichung's Zhong Xiao Night Market, where they were famous for selling stewed duck's blood cake inside a spicy hot soup made with dozens of Chinese medicinal ingredients, fruit and vegetables. Owner Chen Shi-min will tell you that his soup is the secret weapon. One recommended dish, Hot Pot with Twin Flavors, comes with mildly sour pickled cabbage and pork. Other popular choices include the Crab Egg with Bamboo (NT$90) and Escalope of Prime Beef (NT$290), which also comes with shrimp, beef, squid, and handmade combo balls (NT$190). Even though Ding Wang limits the dining time for each party and only offers a la carte instead of all-you-can-eat like most hot pot places, there are always people waiting just to get a taste of their delicious treats. --By Josie Wu

Qiao Tou

(02) 2777-5608
157, DunHua S Rd, Sec 1, 2F
Hours: 5:30 pm-3 am
Credit cards not accepted.
10% service charge.
MRT：ZhongXiao/DunHua Station # Exit 8

Qiao Tou offers a selection of uniquely flavored dishes that enjoys a great reputation among hot pot lovers. Their spicy hot pot soup is made with spicy bean paste, liquorice slices and rock candy; these ingredients are stir-fried and mixed with vegetable oil. Although it looks innocent enough, the spice will inevitably set in as you eat. As far as soup contents go, chefs throw in smooth duck's blood cake, tripe pieces and ox stomach. At Qiao Tou, anything that can be made from scratch is. Their new dish, Chicken & Pork Meat Balls (NT$120) is also worth a try. The owner Mr. Liang, has appeared a few times on TV as a culinary figure and is well-known for his particularity about food sanitation and nutrition content. He recommends the White Soup Pot with Hundred-Year-Old Egg and Celery, which comes with a special dipping sauce. You can also get a pot to-go or purchase canned hot pot concentrate, to enjoy Qiao Tou's specialties at home. --By Hsiang Ray Lee, photos by Andy Lin