Breaking down the doors of convention, Xiao Lao Wang Hotpot is literally boiling up a new yardstick for the much love steamboat or ‘hot pot’. Unlike most mainstream steamboat restaurants that serve MSG-laden clear or tom yam soup, Xiao Lao Wang Hotpot’s tagline “YES! It’s this pot of soup” says it all. Owned by three steamboat aficionados, they have decided to opened up their own hot pot restaurant offering their own unique concoction of soup base that are not only nutritious but flavoursome at the same time.
Xiao Lao Wang Hotpot’s signature Pig Stomach Chicken Soup (RM 22.80 – small / RM 26.8 – medium / RM 34.80 – big) is laboriously prepared using a base stock of boiling pork bones, chicken, pig stomach giving their customers the ‘real deal’ when it comes to a pot of soup. Inside, you will see an abundance of the aforementioned ingredients which are not only nourishing but free from any sort of artificial flavour enhancer. Xiao Lao Wang Hotpot even went to the extent of using free-range chicken to boil the soup as it is discernibly healthier than those bred in contained farm. One have to just take a sip of the soup before adding any other hot pot dishes to appreciate its incredibly rich and concentrated peppery flavour.
While the Pig Stomach Chicken Soup was flavoursome with its thick pepper-ish taste, the Salmon Head with Tomato Soup (RM 28.80 – medium / RM 36.80 – large) gave out a delightfully tangy flavour. Using a visibly huge pan-fried salmon head for the soup resulted in a concentrated broth of omega-3 goodness and protein with a tinge of acidic taste from the tomatoes.
The menu at Xiao Lao Wang Hotpot should be lauded for its comprehensiveness. Not only does it describe the origin of the Pig Stomach Chicken Soup which dated back to the Qing Dynasty when it was concocted to improve the health of a imperial consort named “Yi Fei”, there is also a description on how the soup should be consumed. The proper steps involve consuming the kampung chicken and pig stomach first before dunking the rest of the hot pot ingredients one at a time. The restaurant also suggests adding some radish, lotus roots or Chinese cabbage to sweeten the soup. There are also cooking tips on how Big Head Prawn Noodle or Porridge can be made using the existing pot of soup. Pretty ingenious and a good way of telling their customers to enjoy the entire hot pot experience at a much leisurely pace.
Having tasty soup base is only one part of the equation as Xiao Lao Wang Hotpot successfully combined their own homemade steamboat ingredients to complete the winning formula. Far from sourcing their supplies from third parties, they have instead chosen to produce their own quality line-up of hot pot ingredients. Items such as their meat balls (Sotong – RM 9.90, Pork Tendon – RM 9.90, Beef – RM 10.90, Mushroom Pork – RM 9.90 and Celery Pork – RM 9.90) were incredibly dense and full of meaty goodness flavour. Imagine boiling them over a pot of soup that is already so flavourful. The result is strikingly delicious. It is apparent that the restaurant did not skimp on quality when it comes to their food. Other items such as Tao Pok with Fish Paste (RM 9.90), Dumpling (RM 7.90), Fried Bean Curd with Fish Paste (RM 6.90), Fried Bean Curd Roll (RM 7.90) are top notch and not some inferior ingredients with a huge amount of flour mix into the meat.
Xiao Lao Wang Hotpot also offers fuss-free platters. With two variants namely Seafood Platter with Yee Mee & Egg (RM 69.90) and Assorted Platter with Yee Mee & Egg (RM 64.90), customers can get to sample a myriad of items from each set without having to pick and choose their individual hot pot ingredients. The Yee Mee came in a jumbo size with thick strands of noodles minus the oily stench (chou yau yik).
Xiao Lao Wang Hotpot also features a praiseworthy range of condiments for their customers to mix their own dipping sauces with ingredients such as sesame sauce, light soy sauce, fermented bean curd, dancing chilling sauce, mushroom sauce, slice ginger, red chilli, radish mixed, spring onion, coriander leaf and etc. There is also a helpful printout at the condiment bar that guides the customer with a recommended recipe for a delicious concoction.
Suffice to say, Xiao Lao Wang Hotpot is a hidden gem amidst of the bustling industrial area of Sg. Buloh New Village. While its location may be off the beaten track, the travelling distance is surprisingly just a few minutes drive from Sierramas, Kota Damansara or Subang Airport (see Waze location below). Overall, the restaurant clearly makes the grade when it comes to its hot pot offerings with its quality soups and ingredients. Highly recommended.
Xiao Lao Wang Hotpot
PT 11, Jalan Perkhidmatan
Kampung Baru Sungai Buloh
47000 Sungai Buloh
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Waze Location: http://waze.to/hw284pm8uf
Tel: 03-6140 2595
Email: party@attanggo.com