Food Review: Sen Hotpot in Jordan

Sen Hotpot isn't the easiest place to find - I walked up and down Jordan Road, before remembering that my friend told me that the entrance was actually on Temple Street. It is, however, definitely worth seeking out because the food is so good.

I had thought from the name that the restaurant specialised in hotpot - the bubbling vats of broth that diners dip ingredients into. And it does serve that - but it also makes dishes that are served in pots, with the ingredients cooked in the kitchen but kept hot on burners that are built into each table.

Braised goose (HK$258 for half) had tender meat in a sauce that was so delicious we asked two different servers what was in it, only to be told it was a secret. There was lots of young ginger; I thought I detected sweetened black vinegar, while a friend thought there was preserved plums. Whatever it was, it was rich and intense, and the flavour of it had really penetrated into the meat.

Chongqing-style numbing and spicy chicken casserole (HK$138 for a small portion) was a wonderfully complex dish because of the spices used: not just the expected Sichuan peppercorns and fresh and dried chillies, but also whole nutmeg (we've never had that before), cumin seeds and Chinese celery. We liked the sauce so much that we wanted to soak it up with rice or udon noodles.

Our next dish, chicken and crab casserole (HK$278 for a half portion) had quality ingredients in an unusual combination, but as one guest said, they didn't have true "synergy" - the crab didn't enhance the flavour of the chicken, and vice versa. After we ate most of the ingredients, the waitress heated the pot on the tableside burner and added udon noodles - and that's when we understood the reason for the combination - the sauce was excellent.

Mandarin fish slices poached in Sichuan spicy oil (HK$238) was surprising for its subtlety. The fish tasted fresh and clean with just the right amount of seasonings, and the Sichuan spicy oil was just a gentle hint. We ordered stir-fried kale with shrimp paste (HK$68) because the smell of it - wafting from a nearby table - was so tempting. The whole kale stalks were fresh and bright green, their sweetness enhanced by the pungent shrimp paste as well as garlic, ginger and pork.