Sichuanese cuisine is heating up Seoul’s dining scene. Those trademark peppercorns ― with their tongue-tingling, mouth-numbing allure ― are popping up in Chinese restaurants throughout the city.

The trend, though not yet fully mainstream, might even go mass market soon now that Crystal Jade ― the Singapore-based chain of over 100 restaurants throughout Asia ― is dishing out a Sichuan-style hot pot at its newest Myeong-dong outlet.

Crystal Jade Hot Pot Restaurant, the chain’s eighth South Korean establishment, opened this month.

Evading a buffet-style set-up, the new eatery serves up its hot pot (a.k.a. huo guo) tableside, making it a business-lunch-appropriate affair. 

Each table comes with its own sleek, built-in black electric stove, and neatly plated meat, chewy bean curd skins, tofu, thick, glassy noodles and fresh vegetables accompany the huo guo.

“Lots of customers come here for get-togethers and co-worker gatherings,” said Cho Kwang-yong, Crystal Jade’s Korea food service division brand manager, who added that the spot attracts office workers on the weekdays and families on the weekends.

Yet out of the vast repertoire of Sichuanese dishes to choose from, why specialize in the hot pot?

“Koreans like tabletop cooking and these days spicy food is popular,” Cho explained.

Indeed, given that Korean barbecue is often a D.I.Y. affair and that South Koreans have gone beyond the standard realm of traditional fiery food to create incendiary dishes like buldak (“fire chicken” in Korean) it makes sense as to why the Sichuanese huo guo would be an ideal choice.

Yet, while Sichuanese cuisine is famed for its spiciness, it is not solely known for inducing an eye-watering heat. It is also famed for being incredibly aromatic and fragrant.

“Sichuanese cuisine is known for having a highly developed spice repertoire,” Cho explained.

Within Crystal Jade’s spicy, red hot pot broth alone there are around 30 spices and 20 Asian medicinal herbs, giving it a complex, heady and addictive edge.

At Crystal Jade, the basic huo guo comes with two separate compartments. One side holds the white, milky chicken-and-pork bone broth that serves as the base for the significantly spicier ruby-hued broth in the other compartment.

While the white soup essentially plays a supporting role to the meat and vegetables by gently imbuing them with a slight richness as it cooks the ingredients, the red broth takes the lead.

One dunk in that piquant red broth and a leaf of cabbage becomes a powerful flavor bomb, fiery, pungent and intensely fragrant.

Spice addicts can up the ante by going for the “mala” broth in lieu of the white soup, meaning that one can go from hot to hotter by dipping meat and vegetables into the medium-hot red broth and then switching over to the even spicier “mala” broth.

To enjoy one’s huo guo properly, it is recommended that one starts with the meat first, dipping one’s choice of lamb, beef or hanwoo (Korean beef) into the soup until it is cooked and then enjoying and allowing the meat to further flavor the broth before moving onto the greens, mushrooms and fish balls.

For now, this is the only Crystal Jade Hot Pot outlet in South Korea. Cho said that there are plans to expand sometime next year.

Crystal Jade Hot Pot Restaurant

B1/F Hancom Building, 20 Sogong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul; (02) 3789-8088; open 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily; hot pot sets cost 23,000 won to 33,000 won, lunch hot pot sets cost 15,000 won per person

By Jean  Oh (oh_jean@heraldcorp.com)