Memory Tongue Hotpot

虽然天天经过这家店，真正来吃是最近两周，还是被锅底和菜品的新鲜打动了！非常喜欢他家的虾滑和凉虾！作为半个四川人来说这个火锅的味道非常地道了！虽然天天经过这家店，真正来吃是最近两周，还是被锅底和菜品的新鲜打动了！非常喜欢他家的虾滑和凉虾！作为半个四川人来说这个火锅的味道非常地道了！

It was the steamy arched window and the intriguing name that first caught my eye when searching for a late night, post-cinema feed. Memory Tongue is a first-floor Chongqing hot pot restaurant that popped up in this location during 2017; expanding to a second restaurant in the Chatswood Interchange in 2018. Think of the Chongqing hot pot as the restaurant version of the roadside malatang, a soup I have been raving about across a number of reviews - both are numbing and spicy (má là). While Memory Tongue is definitely geared towards a Chinese-speaking audience, they’re not unwelcoming to other guests. After climbing the stairs, we’re guided to a red caged booth, with mountainous detailing on the frosted glass. It’s clean, padded and comfortable, though we are soon to destroy it completely with our bubbling pots of hell-broth and our inept handling of temperature regulation on our individual hot plates. Rolled aprons sit at...

Really it is an authentic Chongqing hot pot, much better than other Sichuan restaurants.

seldom see non-Chinese dining here. I suppose all local friends are heroes if they dare to try authentic Chinese hot pot! Lol 😂

One of the newest hotpot destinations to hit the Sydney CBD and it has a lot to give. I’ve been to a lot of hotpot places in the city, memory tongue makes me want to go back every time because of the unique food options, bright & comfy environment and most importantly the cleanliness. The place is packed most days, but if you go around 6, you should be able to get a seat.

The target audience for memory tongue is clear – Asians, in particular Chinese mainland. The menu is primary in Chinese with most items with a clear English translation. When I said previously they serve unique dishes, some may consider them a bit - weird. Pigs brain and tripe just to name a couple. If you’re not the adventurous type, they do serve a lot of your normal hotpot dishes such as tofu, vegetables and your beef/lamb meats (with even a wagyu A8 option $88). Everyone gets their own pot, but those with big groups can get a table where you share. When you walk in, you will see a dish that is on everyone’s table. It’s a giant brown ball with sesame seeds on top. It is their signature dish and I highly recommend. It is basically a glutinous ball, deep fried. You can ask for gloves so you can dig right in with your hands. It takes a long time to come because everyone gets it, expect it to arrive near the end of your meal.

Pros : Diverse menu with safe and adventurous options. The glutinous ball is great fun and an Instagram highlight.

Con: Very Chinese oriented. Cashier didn’t know how to speak English, menu items are clear but some don’t have translation – Bring someone who can read Chinese with you. Not your cheapest hotpot place around, the three times I’ve gone I had spent around $40-$70.

Must get :

The big glutinous ball ($8). Tripe. Coriander beef balls.

Good Chinese Hotpot Restaurant. Used to be super busy when they first opened, but the queue is getting quite manageable nowadays. Lots of selection of ingredients and it was fresh. They also do some cooked dishes. Definitely satisfied with our visit.

Memory Tongue is a first-floor Chongqing hot pot restaurant that popped up in this location during 2017; expanding to a second restaurant in the Chatswood Interchange in 2018. Think of the Chongqing hot pot as the restaurant version of the roadside malatang - both are numbing and spicy (má là). While Memory Tongue is definitely geared towards a Chinese-speaking audience, they’re not unwelcoming to other guests. After climbing the stairs, we’re guided to a red caged booth, with mountainous detailing on the frosted glass. It’s clean, padded and comfortable, though we are soon to destroy it completely with our bubbling pots of hell-broth and our inept handling of temperature regulation on our individual hot plates. Rolled aprons sit at each table setting. I advise you to put them on. While most of the paper menu you mark to place your order is translated into English, all of the table signage for specials is written in simplified Chinese. Staff are friendly but the ones I encountered spoke limited English. We were able to ascertain that the restaurant accepted credit cards by pulling one out of my wallet. Drinks are non-alcoholic and limited to soft drinks, plum juice and teas, which for my dining companion was an issue, because he's convinced spicy food requires beer. I’m happy with my regular malatang beverage of choice – Calpis ($4). Not really knowing how much to order, we go to town on the paper menu. The first question is of course the soup. Here you can opt for an individual mini pot, or a shared group pot (for five people), with the latter also coming in half/half if you want a spicy and a not-so-spicy broth to suit different palates. We opt for their signature Chongqing Spicy Hot Pot with Rendered Beef Fat ($10.80) and a slightly less hot Stewed Spicy Chicken Soup ($11.80). They arrive quickly with a flurry of vegetables - Shallots ($4.80); Chinese Cabbage ($4.80); and Water Spinach ($5.80). The best of which is the napa cabbage, so long as you tear it up into bite-sized pieces (otherwise it drips everywhere). King Brown Mushrooms ($6.80) that the kitchen has cut into scored caps and thin slabs of stem, and Enoki Mushrooms ($6.80) are both tasty winners in both soups. Presented in a pretty nest of bean sprouts, Quail Eggs ($5.80) have runny yolks that burst in your mouth delightfully, even after spending considerable time in your bubbling pot. Rice Cakes ($3.80) are wonderfully textural, like Korean tteokbokki. They’re a great way to really get acquainted with your broth, as they’re not strongly flavoured as other ingredients. The signature beef broth is rich and mouth coating, with a big numbing kick. The chicken broth seems spicier on first taste as the numbing aspect doesn't come through as strongly. It's full of whole spices and little bits of chicken, so I found it best not to scrape the bottom of the pot when searching for items. Now hot pot is meant to be a slow, sociable meal. Use the slotted spoon to move items into your bowl with a minimum of mess. Use chopsticks to dip them in your personalised Sauce ($3/head), that you make at the saucing bar near the entrance, to cool them down before popping them into your mouth. Our table quickly fills with ingredients. The Premium Beef and Lamb Combo. ($29.80) is pricy, but includes rolls of beautifully marbled beef and lamb stacked on a ceramic open book platter. Both meats eat well across each of the soups. Memory Tongue’s other signature item are the giant brown balls speckled with sesame seeds that you can see on nearly every table. Dubbed the Supersized Fried Glutinous Rice Ball ($8.80), I find it a bit greasy (they give you gloves to tear it apart) and curiously sweet. Last to arrive is our seafood, presented nicely on ice. Selected Super Prawn ($18.80) proves to be eight large king prawns jutting out of crushed ice. Being unshelled, they’re terribly messy, but really great tasting after spending some time in the soup. Australian Special Scallops ($16.80) are easier to eat, and almost as delicious as the prawns.

First hotpot place I've tried. Came in recommended. Do remember to sign up for membership as it's free want also gives you a discount on their dishes. Not too bad in a cold day! Comes in individual pots or communal one. Similar to what we ordered.

Delicious! My first hot pot experience. We had the Barbie, super prawns, spicy and tomato soup, lots of veggies, all fresh, all delicious. We were lucky it wasn't too packed when we went.