If you’re an LA native and you’ve been suffering from that extreme cold we’ve been dealt with, then for sure you’ve been visiting your local hot pot restaurants to keep warm. I stopped by Simmer Huang in Temple City, CA and got to try out a different style of hot pot: dry pot!

Simmer Huang puts a new twist to traditional hot pots we are usually used to – instead of soup, they steam and let all the water and sauce mix together to create our broth and it’s delicious! Keep in mind though, the process does take a while but I promise it is worth it.

My friends and I visited on a Thursday night and we shared the mild spicy, continental combination pot and added on a few other sides: beef wrapped enoki mushrooms, pork intestines, quail eggs, and New Zealand lamb legs. We also got their hot and sour black noodle as a appetizer and got their plum juice to try out.

Each pot comes with a base of vegetables, and they’ll start off with that by letting it steam and cook. Next, they’ll add on a layer of whatever you order, cover it up and let it cook again. After a few more minutes, they come back and add on the next layer and as they approach the last layer of food, they spread on the sauce and let’s it cook one last time before it is all ready to eat. By then, if you’re like me and you love soggy veggies, then you’re in luck. I love soggy carrots, especially if they’re going to be cooked.

The sauce they mix in is so delicious, I cannot get over it. It’s  like a black bean sauce (they’ll mix it in front of you, I didn’t ask what though)!

After you eat, they’ll add hot water so it becomes soup and if you check in on Yelp, you’ll get a free hand pulled noodle to eat with the soup!

Everything was delicious, 10/10. I cannot wait to come back! The service was awesome, there were only 2 people working but we felt like we were getting the right amount of attention and did not have to wait or hail someone down with frustration.

If you get a chance to try it out let me know! I’d love to hear your thoughts about it. Enjoy!

TTFN!