Ten years ago, my dear friend J and I established a tradition of having Christmas Eve lunch together. This has to take place in a restaurant we have never visited before and each year we alternate in choosing the venue. This year it was my turn to choose (which also meant it was J's turn to pay!). I paid last year.
I actually chose two new, adjacent restaurants and waited to see which appealed most on the day. In the end we went to 海吃海喝 (hǎi chī hǎi hē), literally 'Sea Eat, Sea Drink'. As you will have guessed it's a sea food place, but with a difference. It is a seafood hot pot joint. Each table is automatically served a bowl of steaming hot broth in two sections - spiced and plain. Then you walk around this large selection of ingredients and help yourself to what you fancy, then cook it in the broth. The table also has a hotplate for grilling meat or seafood if you prefer.
The deal is that you pay 55元 per head (around $8 USD) and you have two hours to enjoy your lunch. Over-stayers have to pay again! As a precaution against waste, you are also required to leave a further 10元 ($1.40) per head as a deposit against taking food from the buffet and not eating it. When you are done your table is inspected and you are issued with a ticket to claim your 10元 back.
The seafood was beautifully fresh, as were vegetables, fruit etc. They also had some pre-prepared dishes of offer, again buffet style, but we did not partake of those. The 55元 also covers drinks including beer. That we partook.
The lighting was a bit odd, so the pictures aren't great.
Seafood
More seafood
And more
And more
Marinated ingredients
Sea snails
Yet more seafood
Tiny clams
Green lipped mussels
Vegetables and charcuterie
There were a couple of oddities.
Durian and blueberry pizza, anyone?
A large bowl of fries/chips. Stone cold and limp.
We paid more than one or two visits to stock up. Here is some of what we ate, but first a terrible shot of the hot pot broths.
Clams and one fry/chip
These are 黄蜂鱼 (huáng fēng yú) which translates as 'yellow wasp fish'. I'm not sure exactly what they are.
I forgot to mention there is also a station for dips which you can mix yourself.
Here is a short walk around the food counters.
We ate our fill and then some, then reclaimed our deposits as we were good children and ate everything! Thanks J. See you next year!
