Like your food spicy? Even if you think you don’t, you will after visiting Chong Qing Hot Pot in Glen Waverley. Tucked away in the Village Walk between the Glen and Century City walk, Chong Qing is the sort of place that you may easily overlook. Indeed, I have walked past it so many times but had not thought to try it… until now.
Having fairly recently developed a keen taste for all things spicy, I first tried Szechuan (or Sichuan) food earlier this year at Szechuan House in Corrs Lane. And my goodness, it blew my mind! Be warned: you need to be able to handle the heat, otherwise you’ll probably need to get out of the kitchen. But as I have slowly built up my tolerance (and taste for) hot food, I was able to enjoy it for what it was – delicious. A review of Szechuan House is lnng overdue, but for now, let me enlighten you to the delights of Chong Qing Hot Pot.
Often busy and always tasty, Chong Qing Hot Pot is the place to go for traditional Szechuan food close to y0ur home. As their name suggests, they also offer Hot Pot, but I have not yet had the privilege of trying this. Instead, every time we have gone it has been for their fabulous Szechuan meals. The fish-flavoured eggplant, pictured at the top of this post, is heavenely. Hot, spicy and saucy, it is an explosion of flavour and heat. And I promise it is much more tasty than it sounds!
Other highlights: Ants Climbing the Trees, which is a noodle dish with little morsels of crumbed meat throughout. A favourite of my boyfriend’s, this yummy meal is perfect with the aforementioned fish-flavoured eggplant. Another favourite are the spicy pork ribs, which can be a little fatty, but are always high on flavour. Mmm… mouth-watering goodness.
If you have never tried Szechuan food before, I implore you to taste the flavours of Chong Qing Hot Pot in Glen Waverley. The service is generally quite prompt, and the staff have been good to us (they once let us in for lunch just as they were closing, which is no small thing to me). As I mentioned, you have the option of Hot Pot, which I am very keen to try soon. But with the Szechuan food, you really can’t go wrong. I never used to eat spicy food, but now I can’t stay away! A plate full of fragrant, fish-flavoured eggplant and Ants Climbing the Trees is my idea of heaven. For a delicious lunch or warming dinner, Chong Qing Hot Pot in Glen Waverley is the real deal for authentic Szechuan cuisine.
Chong Qing Hot Pot
Village Walk Shop 18
52 O’Sullivan Road
Glen Waverley