I almost didn’t get to try this place. Glad I did! 

C and I were food hunting in Sri Petaling, and like the indecisive people we are, walked back and forth between several hotpot outlets (one was closed, another was too expensive, the other had a limited menu, etc.). After what must have been 40 minutes, we finally settled on MK Hotpot, a new resto that serves hotpot with a slight twist. The place is tucked on the first floor, so keep your eyes peeled for the sign outside the staircase.

Simple interior, but cosy. Tables are adequately spaced apart. Service is attentive and friendly.

You order by set, with each set comprising of a soup, a ‘main course’ and a side. There are six different kinds of soup bases, so there’s something for every palate – like Signature Golden Chicken, Herbs, Tomato and Pepper. I went for the Tonkotsu (pork bone soup), while C opted for the Taiwanese Spicy soup. For the choice of protein, there is chicken breast slices, pork belly or lean pork slices, Australian Beef / Lamb slices, seafood platter and vegetable platter. Last but not least, pick a side of different rice and noodle dishes.

There is a condiment and sauces station, where you can mix your own dipping sauce. You can find the typical fried shallots, garlic, sesame, peanuts, sesame oil, vinegar and soy sauce, as well as shacha ( a paste made from soybean oil, garlic, shallots, chilli, brill fish and dried shrimp, popular in Hokkien communities ie Fujian in China, and Taiwan).

Each set comes with mushrooms, pumpkin, cabbage and lettuce, corn on the cob, wood-ear fungus, quail eggs, radish and tofu. Add them to the soup to get that naturally sweet flavour.

The unique thing about MK Hotpot is its ‘stone pot’ concept. Instead of a large vat to boil the soup, which is usually the case with other hotpot chains, you get a small stone pot each (which I think is more hygienic, coz you won’t have to cook your ingredients in the same pot). The pot also doubles as a shallow wok of sorts – the correct way to enjoy the food, according to our server, is to first stir-fry the ingredients with some oil, garlic and shallots. Once the food has released a nice fragrance and is slightly cooked, you then add the soup and let it boil.

We got some ala carte items – pork balls, octopi, enoki mushrooms, cheese tofu, and giant shrimp. They are currently running a promotion, whereby if you like their Facebook page, each shrimp set of 3 costs just RM9.90. Everything is fresh and tasty, and they aren’t stingy with portions either.

My tonkotsu soup base was the bomb – C and I ended up finishing almost all of the soup.  It was savoury, rich and lipsmacking-ly good! Her Taiwanese Spicy wasn’t bad either, but I think it’s more suitable for those who like that Sichuan mala /chilli oil taste. We also ordered a tempura (it was translated to Tian Bu La and I was like what on earth) which C wasn’t impressed with but I secretly liked lol.

Our meal for two came up to about RM100, with drinks. We ordered some extras, but I think the price is still reasonable given the portions and taste. In fact, I’m headed back there again this weekend with another group of friends!

MK HOTPOT (SRI PETALING) – Non-halal