What is it?
Owned by the same folks behind speciality
grocer Green &
Safe, this is the
third Qimin branch bringing the farm-to-table concept
to its customers. Qimin prides
itself as a healthy hotpot restaurant, focusing on organic ingredients sourced directly from its own farm in Kunshan and a menu that changes every three months
to ensure the freshest seasonal ingredients.
You can finally say ‘table for one, please’ at a hotpot restaurant. Unlike your usual hotpot experience, at Qimin, each guest gets their own individual pot.
On the menu
There are eight types
of broth, from the popular Mongolian-style (28RMB) with a strong, herbal flavour or sweet roasted tomato beef bone (38RMB), to the light ‘four seasons organic vegetable’ (32RMB). The deep flavours come from hours of slow-cooking and are completely additive-free.
There’s variety of high-quality
meats, including organic ‘300 days’ black pig pork belly and shoulder (48RMB) and Australian M5 wagyu sirloin (198RMB). But it’s the seafood, vegetables and specialty items that steal the show. The premium seafood platter (168RMB) features eight types of seafood with standouts like live hairy crab
and razor clams. The handmade abalone and codfish lollipops (six for 88RMB) are worth a try, as are the edamame-studded seafood
nougats (three for 20RMB) that nicely soak up the pots’ rich broths.
With self-harvested sprouts and mushrooms, baby tomatoes,
corn, carrots and a mix of fresh greens, the organic vegetable
basket (48RMB) is a colourful sight. You’ll hardly
need dipping sauces with such fresh
and flavoursome ingredients, but even
so, we still say go crazy at the DIY sauce table (10RMB
per person).
We wouldn’t mind
making a trip here just for dessert. A four-in- one masterpiece
combines Taiwanese SunnyHills pineapple cake, honeycomb, vanilla ice cream
and organic strawberries on shaved ice, topped off with drizzles of condensed milk and mint leaves (58RMB).
Hot tip
Join in on the evening ‘auction’ to get hotpot ingredients for a steal. Items up for grabs range from seafood to wine and change daily. Plus, you get a free beer just for participating.
The verdict
A far cry from the usual steamy hotpot restaurant with messy table tops, murky broths and dubious meat, Qimin is a great place to enjoy a sin-free (albeit slightly more pricey) hotpot experience.
Qimin Organic Hotpot is at Third Floor, 191 Hengshan Lu, near Wulumuqi Bei Lu, Xuhui district. See full venue details below
