The typical restaurant experience does not involve cooking your own food, but at Nine Spices Fondue, you’re put in the driver’s (or chef’s) seat and allowed to have complete control over your meal, from start to finish.
Nine Spices specializes in hot pot, which is a popular cooking method in China. You select a broth from a list of seven options and the soup is brought out to you. You then bring the broth to a simmer and select what you’d like to cook from the ingredients rotating around the restaurant on the conveyor belt in front of you.
There are dozens of ingredients for you to choose from; different meats, seafoods, vegetables and noodles. Nine Spices is all you can eat, but be mindful of the two-hour time limit for you and your party.
Photo via Nine Spice’s Facebook
It can be a little overwhelming when you first walk in and are seated in front of the conveyor belt, but hot pot is a fun twist on the Chinese food you know and (hopefully) love. And if at any point you’re at all confused with what to do, what a food item is, or how to use your chopsticks, the servers and staff are more than willing to help you. Eating shouldn’t be stressful, right?
I decided to order the original soup base, and after receiving my broth, I immediately began making selections off of the conveyor belt. Using the diagram of the options from the napkin dispenser, I chose the beef brisket, instant noodles and dumplings for my first attempt at the hot pot.
The diagram on the napkin dispenser also has the recommended cooking time for each of the food items, so you’re never unsure of what to do. Chopsticks are used as the main utensils, but forks are available upon request, too.
Photo via Nine Spice’s Facebook
Even with the help of the pictures on the chopstick wrapper and the help of a kind staff member, I couldn’t figure out the chopsticks and had to use the fork, so there’s no shame in asking.
In addition to the conveyor belt rotating uncooked items around the restaurant, there is a sauce bar where you can mix and match different sauces to create your own unique flavor.
There are so many unique and interesting options to try at Nine Spices, the two-hour time limit just doesn’t seem like enough. It’s definitely one of those places where you need to go back a few times in order to try everything.
If you and your taste buds are feeling adventurous and in the mood for authentic Chinese hot pot, you can check out Nine Spices Fondue at 3333 SW 34thSt. Gainesville, FL.
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