Looking for a fun and delicious activity to do with friends and family? I’ve got the spot for you… Take the trip to BeiJing Hot Pot in Rutherford, New Jersey.
The concept of Hot Pot originated and popularized in China. Hot pots contain a broth where people can cook their own meats, noodles, vegetables and seafood. There is also dipping sauce offered on the side to enhance the flavors.
For me, the best feature about the BeiJing Hot Pot is that it is 100% Halal! This place attracts a vast Muslim population. When I found out about the restaurant being Halal, I immediately rushed there.
Let’s get into a review of my experience at BeiJing Hot Pot.
Right when I entered, I felt like I was entering a sauna. The place was super hot so make sure to dress accordingly before going.
My waiter was very polite and provided excellent and fast service.
The menu offers the Hot pot, grilled meats, a variety of different flavored dumplings, noodles, cold dishes and bubble teas.
The Hot Pot contains a beef, lamb, seafood, or vegetable combo with different flavored broths: Original, Spicy, Mushroom, Curry and Tomato. You can order a variety of sides such as crab sticks, fish cakes, lotus, seaweed, tofu, mushrooms, noodles, eggs, potatoes, corn and lots of other vegetables.
I ordered the Hot pot with the beef combo, spicy broth, sesame dipping sauce and a side of udon noodles and seaweed.
The restaurant had a sign displayed guiding people on how long to put the items into the hot pot for. This was super helpful, considering this was my first time trying a Hot Pot.
I cooked the beef for 20-30 seconds and the vegetables for 40 seconds. I left all of my udon noodles in the pot for two minutes so that it picked up on all of the flavors.
Initially, when I cooked the beef for 20 seconds, I didn’t really taste the broth in the beef. However, I noticed that the longer I left the beef in the broth, the more flavorful the beef was. I also had to be mindful to not burn the meat.
This became a trial-and-error experiment.
My favorite part of the meal was the udon noodles, which held the flavors spectacularly. I could taste the spice and chilis in the broth. The flavor was very similar to Maggi Masala, which was nostalgic because I used to love eating that as a kid.
The sesame dipping sauce had a taste very similar to nuts. It was savory, creamy and added a nice touch to both the spicy beef and noodles.
The broth itself was super filling. I wanted to drink it as a soup, but I was way too full!
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I made a list of items I would want to get next time (I recommend you do the same!) BeiJing Hot Pot also offers fully cooked BBQ skewers, which looked incredible.
Considering the price, portions, taste and service, I highly recommend trying this place. You get a chance to cook your own food, learn the techniques and have great conversations.
The area that the restaurant is located in is another plus! From Playa Bowls, to rolled ice cream, to bakeries, Rutherford offers a large variety of desserts to try that are nearby, in case you are having a sweet tooth afterwards.
