Jason P.
Yelp
A few weeks ago, I attended a large Hot Pot Dinner organized by a friend in Han's private back room. We had about 25 people split among 3 special hot pot tables. Hot Pot is a choose your own adventure dinner in which you select and prepare meats, seafood, veggies, etc. in hot broth at your specially equipped table. Hot Pot is a cool group activity, which actually provides a variety of experiences throughout the night.
In the Arrival Phase, you're mixing with friends until everybody is there. Then everybody separates into tables and you're in the Decision Phase. Are you ordering a bunch of stuff and sharing? Are you ordering an individual meal? What broth or broths are you choosing? Our table ordered individually, but the table next door ordered family style. I ordered two broths which were served in a two compartment pot. Chengdu and "Pickle Jar" were my broths. Both were pretty good. My combo dinner included shrimp, steak, an egg, bok choy, carrots, mushrooms, other veggies, noodles etc.
After ordering, you're in the Sauce Phase. There is a bar with sweet, sour and salty sauces such as Soy, Vinegars, Sesame, Hot, Hoisin, Chili Sauce, etc. and some solids such as fresh herbs. You mix these ingredients to create your own perfect combinations.
The next phase is the Cooking Phase, when everybody starts heating their raw food in the boiling seasoned broth. For experienced Hot Potters, cooking may be old hat and you can carry on a normal conversation. As a newbie, I had to ask Experts for advice, plan and concentrate as I decided what to cook and for long.
When you prepare your own food, the blame largely lies with you if things aren't perfect. For the things that Han controlled like broth flavor, ingredient presentation, quality and freshness, they did a good job. Although I'm not an experienced Hot Pot customer, I actually see a lot of pics and video clips of Hot Pot experiences because I follow myriad IG food bloggers who are well versed in World Cuisine and Hot Pot. Given that, I would rate the unprepared food and broth at 4 Stars out of 5.
I enjoyed the food and the experience. Han has a cool atmosphere and I'm not aware of another good Hot Pot option in the greater Hartford area. Service was friendly. Like many places now, it seems like Han is short-staffed.
Hot Pot is a great experience, and I would recommend Han as a good place for it.
Four Stars