Shu Xiang Ge

Shu Xiang Ge brings the fire of Chengdu to Gerrard Street, a dedicated Sichuan hotpot house in the middle of London's Chinatown. It is built around the bubbling, mouth-numbing broths that define Sichuan cooking, cooked at the table so you can dip and simmer your own choice of meats, seafood and vegetables at your own pace.

For anyone chasing proper Sichuan hotpot in Soho, this is one of the area's specialists. Choose your broth, from the tongue-tingling mala to milder options, pick from a long list of raw ingredients and skewers, and cook them in the pot in front of you. It is a hands-on, sociable style of eating that suits a group and a long, steamy sit-down.

What to expect from this Sichuan hotpot in Soho

Expect a DIY feast: a choice of hotpot broths, a big spread of thinly sliced meats, seafood, tofu and vegetables to cook yourself, and a self-serve sauce bar to mix your own dips. The mala broth, heavy with Sichuan pepper and chilli, is the one to try if you like heat. It is warming, interactive and best shared around a full table.

The cooking and the setting

Sichuan hotpot is all about the broth and the ritual, and Shu Xiang Ge leans into both in a busy, casual Chinatown room. It sits among Gerrard Street's dense run of Chinese kitchens, near Plum Valley, with more of the area's tables in our Soho restaurants listings.

How a visit works

Shu Xiang Ge serves lunch and dinner in the heart of Chinatown, taking walk-ins and bookings, with the hotpot best suited to groups. Booking ahead helps at weekends. It is listed on the official Chinatown directory, and featured by Time Out.