How to have the BEST Hot Pot
If you want a restaurant that offers what feels like endless amounts of options and so many phenomenal flavor profiles, then Soupleaf is where it's at!! This Hot Pot in particular is located in a cute little shopping center off of Airport Blvd in Austin, Texas. You could make a whole afternoon out of visiting 85° Bakery, maybe hit up 99 Ranch Market, and ending your evening in a visit to Hot Pot. Now having so many things to choose from is amazing, we all love variety, but it can also be a little daunting at times too. So a little guidance and some suggestions will go a very long way in helping you make the most perfect Hot Pot. This is not the type of dining experience where you go, sit down, peruse the menu and decide on a meal that is prepared for you by someone else. So we have compiled some pro tips for y’all until you can get better acquainted and discover your own must have concoctions. We want you to get the most out of this incredible restaurant and have the best encounter possible. But also, you are our family and we love you so very much! So from our dining table to yours, let’s get started!!
We walk in the door to a dimly lit, calm atmosphere. It's 3 pm on a Wednesday and the restaurant isn't too busy. The staff is friendly and kind, the hostess jokes with us for a bit after we first arrive. They take us back to our table that has 4 individual pots in the table itself. The first thing we can’t help but notice is the flecks of gold sparkles embedded in the tabletop. Now that’s a nice touch!! This is a build your own soup experience. The aroma is so savory and enticing, like your favorite cozy sweater on a cold fall day. When we first arrive the ambience is very chill and inviting. As time passes by, foot traffic amps up as dinner time rolls around and that brings more chatter but it doesn’t change the overall vibe of the room.
The secret is in the sauce with this place. It truly is, and everything is fully customizable. We don’t love spice but you can add as much as your heart desires into yours! So our very first pro tip is, the sawces (if you know, you know). Here are our top 3 favorites:
- House Sauce - 1.5 scoops of house sauce, about ⅔ spoonful of scallions, ½ spoonful of cilantro, 1 spoonful of garlic, 1 scoop of house oyster sauce and a little bit of vinegar.
- Peanut Sauce - 1 scoop of house sauce, 1 scoop of peanut sauce, 1 spoonful of cilantro, 1 spoonful of scallions, 1 spoonful of garlic, a little bit, probably ¼-½ spoon of hot peppers (red chili sauce), then a little bit of vinegar and soy sauce.
- Wasabi Sauce - 1 scoop of wasabi, about ½ scoop of house sauce & 1 spoonful of garlic.
You will order whatever proteins you would like from the wait staff and they will bring them to you on a multi-tiered platter. But the rest of the restaurant is set up buffet style. That is where you will find all of the fixings for your sauces, vegetables, fruits, noodles and seafood. We love to season the broth, it is an absolute must! We’ve got our onion that we toss in, some fresh lemon, garlic, cilantro and scallions. When we are getting the ingredients for our sauces we will also grab a plate and fill it with white rice to share with the whole table, “table rice” if you will.
After you have selected all of your ingredients for your soup, you will want to turn your pot up to a 4 - that will get things to a rolling boil. There is a little display, under the lip of the table, that gives you the control of the temperature for your pot. Toss in the seasonings, as well as all of your root vegetables (ex: potatoes, squash, carrots). Foods that are really starchy, will take the longest to cook. After those veggies have been cooking for a bit, you can drop the temperature down to a 2. This will help maintain the heat so when you add your meats, leafy veggies, noodles and fruits, it won’t overcook them.
Our next tip, get extra ice, and water! With the steam and heat from the pots, it gets very warm, and you need to hydrate!! Next, ask for slotted spoons! Especially when working with vegetables or hand cut noodles. It makes it so much easier to grab them out of the pot.
After we have started our meal the owner finds his way over to our table. He blends right in with the rest of the staff. He is very kind and personable. We appreciated their attentiveness as they checked on us but did not hover. They also don’t come up right after you’ve just taken a bite of something and have your mouth full to ask “How is everything tasting?”
As mentioned earlier, it’s only 3pm on a weekday, so Rylee, the head bartender, whips up some fabulous mocktails to enjoy with our meal. First up is an apple ginger, a slushy drink that tastes like apple juice! It is so good that we all concur, Rylee needs a promotion! Next up is a Tokyo Mule (again virgin) . She's tart but delicious!!
Now back to our pots. You don’t want to leave your meat in too long. It’s a really quick cook. We take the toro, drop it in for about 30 seconds, dip her in whatever sauce you want and enjoy! We opted for the Wasabi Sauce, and also a bit of the white rice and down the hatch she went!! Side note, if when you go they have pineapple, put that in your pot. It is so good!! One of the many things we love so much about Soupleaf is that they have a higher quality of ingredients, it’s fresh, and you can taste that.
We’ve reached the end of the meal, it's time for the finishing touch, and what ties it all together - the ice cream. A cake cone with an icey chocolate/vanilla swirl - the perfect cherry topper for an incredible meal!
Will it potentially take you a visit or two to find your groove and discover YOUR perfect concoction? Probably. But, is it worth the time, money and effort to do so? 100%
We hope that with this information, it will give you a leg up and a head start in helping you create what will be a very memorable meal and experience! So there you have it, all the tricks of the trade for the most perfect Hot Pot! Let us know if you give it a try and if YOU come up with the next *chef’s kiss* creation!
Our favorite Hot Pot location in Austin, TX
Soupleaf Hot Pot
6929 Airport Blvd Austin Texas 78752
