Huang Ji Huang Simmer Pot, Haymarket

Tucked away in an inconspicuous alleyway is Huang Ji Huang Simmer Pot. Relationship to this chinese 黄记煌 chain is uncertain, but does appear they sell the same sort of thing. I've been eager to try this place out since the JJ Lin concert last year!

The first thing I noticed about this place is how 'non-english friendly' this restaurant is i.e. highly advise you come here with a Mandarin speaking buddy. From calling out our number, to ordering, explaining the menu and paying the bill, we did not get one word of English out of the staff. I question whether their hidden location in the Chinatown haven has sheltered this restaurant too much from the reality of 'most-of-us-speak-English-in-Sydney'.

The restaurant had a similar feel to a hotpot joint, with a similar menu and ordering system too. There's two way's to go about ordering. Either order a chef's recommended ingredient set OR choose 6 ingredients from long list of hotpot ingredients to make up your simmer pot.

We kept it simple and simply selected the most popular Chef's preprepared selection (I apologise I was not able to catch the chinese name).

Mixing the veges that line the base

A selection of chicken wings, squid, prawns, duck giblet

Instructions on how to enjoy HJH

The idea is you order, your selected ingredients are placed in a pot with special spices and sauce, this is then simmered for 15-20 mins. The staff will do all the cooking for you though. So it's nice and easy. Then you just dig in!

 After you're done with this saucy pot of goodies and picked out everything you want to eat, its time for phase 2 - when water is added to make a hot pot. You can choose additional ingredients you want to eat here and it is just like having hot pot. I highly recommend having their handmade noodles though. They are divine!

Handmade noodles

Addition of noodles to the reserved broth.

The final bill came to $88 for 4 people including drinks. It was a meal we thoroughly enjoyed and I would consider returning with family. 

I do recommend groups of ≥ 4 people, simply due to size of the simmer pot.