Boiling Point 沸點 - Irvine, CA : Veggie Pot

Happy Lunar New Year! It's the year of the dragon...the most auspicious of all the signs. So for New Year's Eve dinner...we were too lazy to cook and went out to have some hot pot at Boiling Point in Irvine. It just opened up last year around Thanksgiving. I wasn't sure about going at first because I had heard about the bad service...but I think that was just because they had just opened and were ironing out their kinks. The service was pretty much fine. The waiters were all so busy bringing out the pots of soup with fire. The place was busy, but not so much that there was a looong wait. Well, we went closer to 8pm on a Sunday night, so maybe the crowd cleared out.

Tomato & Veggie Hot Soup

So for a veggie eater like myself, there is the Tomato & Veggie Hot Soup. It's not hot like spicy or anything. But, you do have to ask for the all veggie...including broth. Apparently there's a non-vegetarian broth they also use for people that just want to eat light...so don't forget to mention veggie broth too! I didn't know this...apparently it's written in Chinese. Good thing someone else can read it! Haha. I forgot all the veggies they include, but they have tofu, enoki, cabbage, beancurd roll (腐皮 fupi). tomato, corn, green beans, lots of chopped veggie on top (I probably forgot some), and vermicelli on the bottom. They also ask you if you want noodles  (vermicelli) or rice....but I didn't know it came with vermicelli on the bottom. That's plenty of food in the pot and I didn't eat my extra noodles.

Soup on Fire

The fire burns on the bottom...like a flambe...and it runs out eventually. So you can ask for them to light it up again...but I think it's enough to eat all the way through with just one lighting (they have to take it away). The soup cools, but it's still warm as you finish up. So it depends how hot you like it. Also, mine took the longest to come out...they say it takes the longest to prepare. Probably because not a lot of people get this and they have to chop the stuff pretty fresh. So it's worth it not to have brown ends on your veggies.

I liked their garlic sauce...yum. Everything went with it in my soup. The other sauces looked kind of spicy, so I didn't try those out. All in all...good food!!

Boiling Point 沸點
http://bpgroupusa.com/index.html
14140 Culver Drive
Irvine, CA 92606
(949)733-2211

Jazz Cat Fusion Shabu - City of Industry, CA

This weekend we went to try another shabu shabu hot pot place near Rowland Heights. This place just opened in May. The original restaurant is in San Gabriel. We went a bit early…around 6PM on Saturday so that we didn’t have to wait in line.

Wall Art

A jazzy cat greets you upon entry.

Jazz Cat Interior

There are tall booths so you get a sense of privacy. The cooking ranges are not gas but electric. Notice the black ornamental decorations over stainless steel above your head?  Those are range hoods that suck up moisture, smell, and everything emitted from cooking after you’ve completed your meal.

Veggie Plate

So of course I got the veggie plate. It includes tofu, broccoli, three types of mushrooms, baby corn, carrots, squash, enoki (also a mushroom), baby bok choy, celery, napa cabbage, and there are a ton of cellophane noodles on the bottom. You pick your broth and it also comes with a bowl of rice and your choice of sauce which are not pictured. There was a lot of food…more so than at Ayame Shabu Shabu in Irvine and it’s less expensive too. But I thought the quality of veggies of Ayame was better. You can notice some browning on the squash and some of the mushrooms. Sorry, the lighting affected the colors of the veggies in this picture…it was a bit on the dim side.

Simmering Veggies

The pots used here are a wider shallower type. They can add broth/water for you if you’re getting low. Notice I still have a tons of veggies…I just eat really really slow. =)  You have more choices of broths and sauces here if you’re a meat eater. Yes the meat-eater liked this place too…so you can all go together and not worry about mixing your veggies with the meat. There was so much food though…I could not finish every single thing…and I didn’t even touch my rice. 

Jazz Cat Exterior

When we left at around 7:15PM or so…there were people waiting to be seated. So if you don’t wanna wait…get there earlier! All in all it’s a pretty good place. Can’t really go wrong when you cook your own food and add your own flavors and the boiling of food is also healthier. Eating hot pot/shabu shabu is fun (to me)!

Jazz Cat Fusion Shabu

18588 Gale Ave.

City of Industry, CA 91748

(626)581-8588

Couldn’t find a website for them, but they’re on facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/jazzcatshabu?sk=info

Ayame Shabu Shabu Hot Pot - Irvine, CA

Ayame Shabu Shabu used to be Ayame Sushi in the Orchard Hills area of Irvine. It's the sister restaurant to Zipangu at The Lab / Anti-Mall in Costa Mesa, CA. Decided to go try this place out as we heard it was not too bad. There is a vegetable hot pot option for vegetarians. They also have spring salad, edamame, and tofu appetizers too...but I didn't get those. The hot pot alone fills you up. If you are still hungry and want to add additional ingredients you can order them separately. They also have sushi too if you want to order some. Each person gets their own individual pot so you don't have to worry about sharing with meat eaters.

Veggies Only

Started throwing stuff in the pot before I realized I didn't take a picture of the plate full of food they bring you. Already threw in the mushrooms, tofu, Japanese pumpkin, and carrots.

Veggie Plate

The plate is full of napa cabbage, green cabbage, baby bok choy, broccoli, tofu, mushrooms, carrots, Japanese pumpkin, and a couple of rice cakes. This picture is missing the stuff I already threw in the pot. The greens were all fresh and clean. I like the bamboo plate they put the food on.

Dipping Setup

There is sesame sauce on the far left and ponzu (citrus) sauce to the right. I chose brown rice over white of course. The brown rice was good. Some places the brown rice is either too dry or too soggy. This was just right. You can see a couple of cubes of tofu ready for dipping and eating.

Simmering Hot Pot

My veggie pot is simmering and ready to be eaten. This is how you get fresh food right off the stove. Use the wooden ladle to spoon out your goodies, dip, and enjoy. Careful...it is super hot!

My Setup

This is how my little area was sort of set up. Eating on the left, uncooked veggies on the right, hot pot a bit further away on the top portion of the picture. You can't complain about the food because you flavor it as strongly or as lightly as you like it. So the other things I look for are the quality of the ingredients they provide and it was all very good. Boiling your food makes this meal healthy and light.

Assorted Mochi Ice Cream

Now comes the not so healthy part....mochi ice cream for dessert! The green color is green tea flavor, the yellow is mango, the pink is strawberry, and the white is vanilla. They were all very tasty but oh so tiny. The picture makes it look bigger than it actually is. Or perhaps just having two bites makes you want  more so you think it's tastier?

If you are in the area and want to check this place out it's:

Ayame Shabu Shabu Hot Pot

at Orchard Hills Village Center

3923 Portola Parkway

Irvine, CA 92620

714-544-2800