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From the lanterns and drum in the window to the outlines of roof tiles inside, the whole restaurant is a tribute to the Chaoshan region in the east of Guangdong.
What distinguishes this hotpot restaurant from all the others in London?
It turns out there are a couple of key factors that might make you want to consider Teo Hotpot for your next hotpot outing. The biggest USP is that there is an individual hotpot at every seat. So you not only get to choose precisely which broth you want, but you also won't have to go fishing for your ingredients in a communal pot. That's going to make a lot of 'Joey doesn't share food' folk happy.
The bright and modern interiors at Teo Hotpot
And their broth is special too?
It is; we're talking about TeoChew cuisine, where the broths are a lot simpler and more subtle. All the beef broth bases at Teo Hotpot are made only using beef bone marrow bones and nothing else. It's a long process, but the resulting broth has a clarity of flavour you won't find in many other places.
The mooli beef broth perhaps is the best representation of the clarity of the broths on offer here - super clean and bright tasting.
What about the meat?
Manager Choong Bee, took a whole year immersing himself in the intricacies of British butchery before opening his restaurant. As he explained to us, the way of butchering an animal is quite different in the UK to China, and so he worked with Muscat Butchers in Peckham for months before establishing precisely which breed of British grass-fed cattle their kitchen was going to use.
They settled on three in the end - Angus, Black Angus and Hereford - so all the beef used here, including the wagyu, is British grass-fed beef. The cuts are also sliced in-house, so there's a real understanding of and appreciation for the core product.
Is there any point in a vegetarian making a booking?
Definitely! One of the soup bases we tried was their vegan mushroom broth, which is made using a whole host of different mushrooms, including morels, shiitake, golden chanterelles, black trumpet, porcini and also tea tree mushroom and it had a fabulous flavour.
And if you're not a meat eater but enjoy fish, there's a lot of luxury seafood on offer too.
Right, bibs are on, what are we having?
First up we wanted to try several of the beef cuts they'd been talking about. From the premium section of the menu, we opted for the main beef platter. That gave us a selection of picanha, flat iron, crispy fat, wagyu and cut of the day, which, on our visit, was hind shin. The whole thing cost £49.99.
If you are with a group who don't mind sharing their hotpots it's fun to see how the same cuts of meat taste in the different broths. From the various soup bases we tried the winners were the Teo's Satay beef broth (the TeoChew immigrants in Singapore are widely credited with being the original source of satay) and the Wild Mushroom soup.
The premium beef selection platter (£49.99) -
We're going to need some dipping sauce with that...
True to form, there is a condiment station at Teo Hotpot and it's a good one. You can use the suggested mix templates or, as we did, opt for experimentation with everything from fried garlic oil to chao san sauce to choose from.
The well-stocked condiment station
Anything else we need to order?
In addition to the pak choi, enoki mushrooms and tofu we ordered, you should also try the rice pasta which, if you enjoy something a bit more textural with your hotpot, is just the ticket. We also need to draw your attention to another of the restaurant's signature dishes, the hand-pounded beef balls, which are a must-order.
What are we drinking with this?
There's been a lot of thought put into the cocktail list here with a range of tea-inspired drinks. Having tried both the boozy and alcohol-free cocktail options on offer, we'd urge you to try one of these rather than just opting for a beer. They're also planning a whisky pairing menu soon.
Left to right: Osmanthus Virgin Collins (£7.99) and Phoenix Lychee Martini (£12.99) made with Phoenix Tea-infused 42 Below vodka.
Room for dessert?
Once we'd spotted the ice shaving machine on display, we knew what we were ordering. But we could have also opted for either mung bean or matcha pudding too.
Tara sago shaved ice - a creamy, coconutty, delicately flavoured dessert that was perfect after all that hotpot. This is a complimentary serve, but you'll need to come early as there are only a limited number of portions on offer each day.
We badly want one of these at home.
Overall thoughts:
For those of you who are hotpot regulars but haven't yet made it to this Bloomsbury restaurant, we'd urge you to give it a try. And if you're more of a hotpot newbie that you could do a lot worse that being inducted into the joys of hotpot by Teo Hotpot where they're just really keen for you to have a great time. We particularly appreciated the quality of the meat and the array of condiments.
More about Teo Hotpot
Where is it? 28 Store St, London WC1E 7BS
How to book: book online
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @teohotpot28
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