Ming’s Steamboat

With Chinese food in Australia, sometimes you get quality and genuine Chinese food, and sometimes you get the knock off suited for the typical Australian’s taste version. Mings Steamboat is the former, fortunately.
A simple restaurant closer to Whitmore Sq than Chinatown, Mings Steamboat is almost a hidden gem in its own right. The dishes are many and varied, and they taste good too. Don’t be afraid to try the specials on the boards even if they do sound a bit weird. Step out of your comfort zone and don’t just opt for the usual honey chicken — there’s so much more.
We got the chicken soup which felt like a good cleanse — the ginseng and dates really gave the soup a rich flavour. The soy ginger ribs were a bit too thick and sweet and the roast duck might’ve been 70% bones, but they were still good nonetheless. Don’t miss the green beans with XO sauce, which was a clear standout.

This restaurant offers the best hotpot o have ever tasted in Adelaide. The base of the soup is authentic, all the food are freshly made and in big portion. Some places have bad hygiene and often cause food poisoning. But their restaurant is safe and the price is appropriate.
On the other hand, I heard the the chef used to be ceo in Hong Kong, no wonder their dishes have a high standard, similar to a 5 class level. I can’t believe there is such an authentic Chinese restaurant in a small town in adelaide, I feel very delighted!

I was invited to try this restaurant out as I have never had Chinese hotpot before. Hotpot or Steamboat is where diners choose from an array of raw and marinated ingredients and dip it into a simmering stock.
When we first walked into the restaurant, we were greeted by the staffs who directed us to our table where there is an electric cooker located at the centre.
Ordering the dishes works the same way as ordering dishes from a yum cha restaurant, the staff will give you a list of dishes to choose from and you just have to mark which one you want. You can also choose which soup stock to cook your ingredients. We opt to have a pot which was divided into two halves, so that we can cook our dishes into two different stocks.
We decided to order a mound of dishes including fresh seafood, fish balls, fresh vegetables, thinly sliced meats and noodles. Cooking our food can get very messy as everyone have their own chose of what they want to eat and some of the ingredients takes longer to cook that others. Perioderly the staff will refill the stocks.
After trying all the dishes, my stomach was full. Chinese hotpot can be very filling. I would recommand that you should try this restaurant with a large group of friends if you are heading out on a cold day and they also still open early morning.

Awesomely awesome place with a ubiquitous style. Cooking up your own food seems like a daunting process, but it’s actually quite fun especially when you’re just goofing around with buddies.
I’ll admit that I’ve committed a few steamboat atrocities. But the staff are attentive to help you out with anything, and everything that can go wrong.

Take note people, this place is pretty damn cool. I’ve only been there on a couple of occasions and it’s not the sort of place I would usually choose but was SO glad that I did because it led to one of the most entertaining dining experiences.
I was dining as part of a large group (about 8 or 9) and we couldn’t not have picked a better place. The ordering system is a little different to what we were used to, but is really fun. You order a bunch of raw beef and seafood, vegetables and then noodles which all come to your table in cute little bowls.
Then they bring over a huge wok which is heated constantly over a small stove which sits in the middle of the table. In the wok is boiling stock which you drop your food into to cook it before trying the difficult task of chasing it around the bowl with your chopsticks trying to get it out.
The experience is really fun with people chucking in meats and vegetables and there is a couple of different stocks to choose from if your not into super spicy. The best part is the table clothes are just butcher paper which makes for an easy clean up by the staff and means you don’t have to feel bad when you inevitably slop stock and bits of noodle all over the table.
And if you go with a large group our meal only ended up being about $ 10 each which is a bargain in my books, so get steaming!

Ming’s Steamboat is the bomb!
Okay, when it first opened everyone was like «Oh my god, go to Ming’s Steamboat» and «Let’s go out for steamboat!» and I thought it was just another passing trend (the venue of course, not the dish).
THEN, I went there for the very first time for a friend’s birthday. We ordered the Ma Po Tofu with Minced Pork, Salt and Pepper Pork Trotter (this is pork in a whole new league of its own), and of course steamboat is a must. Come here with a large group because steamboat-​ing alone is kind of like playing Uno by yourself. Plus it’s impossible.
If you’re not into steamboats, however, there are a lot of other delish options on the menu as previously mentioned.
This is seriously good, well-​prepared food and a mega must-​try. It is definitely one of the best restaurants in Adelaide.

Mings Steamboat is great.
You really need to go to Ming’s in a group, and i’ll tell you why.
The first time I whent to Ming’s steamboat was shortly after it had opened.
At that time I had no idea what a steamboat was. I had merely stumbled in to get a quick bite to eat before a life drawing class situated down the road.
I ordered the wanton soup which was about $ 12. I thought was a little bit expensive, but probably ok.
After a while the waiter returned with the biggest bowl of wanton soup I had ever seen, it was big enough for more than two people, and I am not exaggerating because it came with a ladle in it. As I decadently started consuming the wantons, ladel in hand, I caught a glimpse out the corner of my eye the table next to me and then gazing around the room I saw that I was the only person in the room eating alone and that everyone else was up to something much more interesting.
STEAMBOAT
Now that I am a self proclaimed steam boat expert (having been there three of four times) I will tell you how it works.
Effectively, the idea behind steamboat is that you cook your own food at the table in a big vat (the hotpot) of bubbling oily stock. Each table is equipt with a small burner stove upon which the hotpot sits. You order various raw ingredients such as meats (i reccomend upsizing to the special beef, it is more expensive but much fresher), vegetables, seafood and seafood balls, mushrooms fungi and a couple of even more interesting items and chuck them in the pot of stock until they cook.
There is also a variety of stocks to choose from, flavoured not only with the base meat (or vegetable for that matter) but also with various herbs and spices. I prefer the hot chili variety but this is not always everyone’s favourite (remember, this is no fun by your self). Luckily, it is also an option to get a divider put in the pot to allow for two different types of stock to be going at once. There is a small additional charge for this feature, but better than having to order two pots of stock. I quite like the variety and will often do this even when everyone present is into chili.
The best part of steamboat is that once the food is cooked you get to fish it out with a little net, which is super fun, and, depending on who you are dining with, can potentially turn into a civil war over who gets the last fishball.