Laba has been aptly described as a 'posh hotpot' place. Those more accustomed to steamy, crowded places with fluorescent lighting and greasy floors will be surprised to see the stylish decor and staff wearing Moet & Chandon aprons. Champagne with hotpot?
The menu is so extensive it is difficult to make a choice. There are 10 soup bases, including supreme spicy Sichuan ($78), which is flavoured with chunks of pork intestine, and thousand-year-old egg with Chinese parsley ($68). The list of items to cook in the broths includes an interesting selection of fishballs (delicious cuttlefish balls stuffed with foie gras, $58), fresh seafood (crabs, lobsters, abalone and geoduck, all at seasonal prices) and a meatball bar where you can choose a filling (fresh crab-meat, escargots, salmon pate or lobster with garlic and cheese) and have it wrapped in octopus, shrimp, pork or beef (prices range from $48 to $68).
Fish dumplings ($28) are juicy and generously stuffed, crispy grass carp belly ($48) comes in thin, delicate slices, while fried fish skin ($28) provides a crunch provided you don't let it soak in the broth for too long. Noodles cost up to $28, while most vegetables are about $26, with the most expensive costing $58 (Japanese mushrooms).
There are servers aplenty but they're not very efficient. A meal for four costs about $750. Laba Hotpot, shop C, Lok Moon Mansion, 29 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, tel: 2735 3800.
