Header image credit: jenpaolini

Winter is coming to Hong Kong, and we plan on keeping warm this season with a few of our favourite things: congee and hotpot. Luckily, we don’t have to pick and choose between the two – at Grandpa’s Porridge Hot Pot in Mongkok, our go-to comfort foods are melded into one.

This snug restaurant in Mongkok’s bustling shopping district is the second outlet of the Grandpa’s Porridge concept, which started out in Tsuen Wan as the brainchild of owner and chef Ming, whose original congee recipe stems from his grandfather. Its uniqueness is derived from a conscious balance between yin and yang elements in the congee base’s ingredients, and Chef Ming upholds the family tradition to achieve optimal well-being by sourcing premium seasonal produce to be served with his congee.

Starting off with a thick base of flavoured congee – we went with truffle mushroom congee and a limited-edition crab congee broth – and a tray of condiments to mix our own dipping sauce, we eagerly assembled our special hotpot chopsticks (extra-long versions to avoid piping-hot splashes from the pot) and turned our attention to a host of different ingredients to dip and cook. We made a meal of bean-curd skin and crispy fish skin, beef and pork shabu-shabu slices, rings of water spinach and handmade dumplings with different fillings, flavoured by the richness of the congee broth, and ended with fresh shellfish and seafood. And for finishers? Endless slurping of bowlfuls of congee from the bubbling pot, seasoned with the lingering flavours of our dipping ingredients.

As a bonus – if you dare – all diners receive a token to try their hand at catching an additional ingredient – a fresh lobster or crab – for their meal at the restaurant’s claw machine.

3/F, Dundas Square, 43H Dundas Street, Mongkok, 2527 8383

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