This post has been long overdue. K and I ate at Shanghai Hinabe almost two months ago (and haven’t stopped thinking about it!), but I did not get a chance to share this with you until now. So here goes!

As the name suggests, Shanghai Hinabe is a Chinese restaurant located in Parkmore. But it is not your usual Chinese eatery…this place is the ONLY hot pot place I know in Joburg! Hot Pot refers to a kind of soup served in East Asia, where a metal pot containing the broth is placed at the centre of the table and is allowed to simmer. Ingredients such as mushrooms, dumplings, meats and vegetables are then cooked in this broth at the table!

Shanghai Hinabe runs on the same concept. First we had to choose a broth/soup – plain or spicy, or half and half (which is what we went for). The soup can be ordered in different sizes  – larger one for big groups or a smaller one for two. For us, even the small was too big! Then we had to select the proteins and veggies which included things like dumplings, thinly sliced beef or pork, seafood, cabbage, bean spouts, mushrooms, noodles, etc. After this, the really sweet lady (who I guess works there), walked us to the sauce counter. Here she mixed several different ingredients to make two different types of sauce. Both were equally delicious. The broth was seasoned with a lot of herbs and spices but when the meats and veggies were added, it tasted a little bland. This is when the sauce came is handy. It added the little something that seemed to be missing.

K and i had a lot of fun dipping and cooking our food at the table. The idea is simple and yet so novel. And the fresh food cooked in the broth with the added sauce was just delicious. Although this kind of a meal does not take long to eat, if you are in a large group (like the table next to us), you can just keep sitting and talking, while preparing your food every now and then!

I would thoroughly recommend this place to all Joburg foodies. Don’t get miffed by the thick iron bars at the entrance of the restaurant! The inside awaits anyone who enjoys fresh food in a simple down-to-earth setting. I can’t wait to go back with a large group of friends.

Information:

Address: 130 11th Street, Parkmore, Johannesburg

Opening Hours: Monday-Sunday: 17:00-21:00