Gather rounda Chengdu hotpot.

Shooloongkan offers the full rhythm of a Chengdu hotpot meal: choose a broth, order ingredients and wait for the pot to boil before cooking them together. The red beef-tallow broth is rich, with clear chilli and Sichuan pepper aromas. For lovers of numbing heat, the broth itself is part of the pleasure.

Beef, prawn paste, vegetables and tofu products can make up the order. Thin meat slices and greens need different cooking times, while noodles and Sichuan starch noodles absorb more broth. Ingredients arrive on separate plates, leaving the pace of the meal in your hands.

If your group prefers different levels of heat, a divided pot can pair the red broth with tomato or mushroom soup. You can alternate spicy richness with another flavour. Explain your preferences when choosing the broth rather than trying to change the heat after cooking.

The sauce counter is another part of the enjoyment. One person may prefer garlic, another sesame; everyone can mix a small bowl and adjust it as they eat. Crisp fried pork fills the wait while ingredients cook, and glutinous rice cakes with brown sugar provide a soft, sweet finish.

The dining room on Meinekestraße has wooden tables and chairs and Chinese decoration. Plates arrive in rounds, and everyone watches for their favourite bite in the pot. It suits a lively dinner with friends or family.

Hotpot gives you time without asking that every dish be finished at once. Pause the cooking to talk, then add another round when you feel like eating. That shared time around a bubbling pot is what to leave room for at Shooloongkan.