Chinese hot pot restaurant to open in London
London's first specialist hot pot restaurant, at which customers put together dishes from a conveyor belt of ingredients, is set to open in Chinatown, in November.
Shuang Shuang will open over two floors of a Victorian building on the corner of Shaftesbury Avenue and Wardour Street.
Its creator is Fah Sundravorakul, originally from a Teochew-Thai background, who previously ran three restaurants in Thailand. She intends to recreate the kind of dishes she enjoyed growing up at family gatherings and celebrations.
"Shuang Shuang will showcase not only my interpretation of Chinese hot pots but also specialist Chinese ingredients sold by our neighbours - a celebration of the community that exists in Chinatown, underneath the surface of its touristy reputation."
Customers will be able to choose from five broths to form the basis of their hot pot. They include Bird Berry (made from a rare breed of black-fleshed chicken and dried Chinese berries); Mala (Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilli); Herbal River (created with prawn heads and fresh lemongrass); Lamb Tonic (made with lamb bones and Chinese pickled cabbage); and Monk's Broth (using soya milk, turnips and mushrooms).
A selection of around 50 British and Chinese ingredients - including beef, pork, clams, sea bass, crab wontons, Chinese pea shoots, mustard leaves, lotus roots and noodles - available on a passing conveyor belt will then be cooked in the simmering broth by diners.
Starters and desserts will also be available. Shuang Shuang opens on 23 November.
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