Four Seasons Hot Pot and Dumplings
I spotted a new chinese place in Provo (about 240 N University Avenue) a few weeks ago and tried to get my wife to go there with me. Neither of us had ever eaten hot pot before and after looking at the menu (which was mostly in Chinese!) she was a little hesitant so we went somewhere else that night. When it came time to decide what I was going to get my mom for her birthday I figured I’d take her out to lunch and that would be the place. Mom shares my sense of adventure when it come to trying new food. She said it sounded good so we went yesterday. We did the hot pot instead of ordering off their menu, which I plan on trying next time, or maybe for some takeout at some point. For the uninitiated, Chinese hot pot is a traditional meal which consists of a pot of broth kept at a high simmer, to which you add tidbits of meat, seafood and veggies and let them simmer till done the way you like. You then remove them with a ladle or slotted spoon and eat them with rice. I guess this traditional dish grew out of the need to keep dwellings warm before the advent of electricity combined with a need for a relatively cheap but still nutritious meal.
To begin, they brought us an appetizer: a small bowl of spicy roasted peanuts, another small bowl containg carrot shreds dressed in a sort of spicy, sour sauce and sesame and hot dipping sauces. The peanuts were excellent and the carrots very tasty and something I had never had before. After a couple bites of those, they brought out our pot of broth. Mom asked for the miso broth and I got a spicy chili one. They brought it in a divided heavy steel pot and put it on an electric hotplate in the center of our table. Off we went to load up a plate with tidbits. The options included shrimp, mussels, fish balls, beef meatballs, thincut beef, chicken and pork, a couple types of mushrooms, tofu, zucchini, a couple types of cabbage, a couple types of rice noodles, broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts and, among other delicacies, something we later discovered was tofu skin. We both thought it must be some sort of animal flesh but we couldn’t figure out what (I was thinking something from Fear Factor), but Mom finally asked. I think my favorite items cooked in my spicy broth were the beef strips (simmering for just about 60 seconds seemed to equate to medium doneness) and the zucchini and broccoli, but it was all delicious. Mom loved the shrimp and mussels, but she is much more into seafood than I am.
The service was impeccable. The staff (I assume they are husband and wife) checked on us several times during our meal. The decor was a nice cross of both lavish and understated. Since we didn’t look at a menu beforehand I didn’t know exactly what to expect when the bill came at the end of the meal. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the lunch for two of us (we both left with very full bellies!) came to less than $20. That is a ridiculously small amount for such a unique and delicious (and plentiful) dining experience. I’ll definitely by going back to Four Seasons Hot Pot and Dumplings in the near future.
