Chongqing Kitchen — Restaurant in North Island

A disappointing experience because of the forced sauce charge ($5 per person). We queried with the person that took our order and told the person that we do not need/eat sauce. In response, we were told different reasons for the forced sauce charge. The first was that the sauce “makes the hotpot experience better”and the second was that it is a charge (like a charge per head for tea) at Chinese restaurants, regardless of whether you have it or not. I do not agree with both of these reasons. The soup base at hotpot restaurants is already very flavorful so no sauce is required. We always respectfully tell the restaurant from the outset that we do not eat sauce and ask that the restaurant remove this charge as it is not right to ask a customer to pay for something which they do not plan to consume, and rightfully, this cost has always been removed, This, as I mentioned above, is the same for tea at Chinese restaurants. However, this request was refused by the restaurant. Since it was a forced cost, we were forced to have something from the sauce section. I do not eat sauce so I took one tiny scoop of the spring onions. Overall, the food was ok and nothing to write home about but the forced sauce charge and flawed reasoning from the restaurant really ruined the...

5/5 – A Hot Pot Experience That’s Spicier Than My Ex’s Texts!

From the moment I walked in, I knew this was going to be an adventure. The atmosphere? Absolutely buzzing! It felt like a party in a pot—everyone laughing, slurping, and sweating. And by "sweating," I mean, "weeping for our lives" because the spice level here is not for the faint of heart.

I ordered the "medium" broth, and my taste buds immediately filed a complaint with HR. It started out innocently enough—just a bit of heat. Then, BAM! The spice hit like a freight train, leaving me questioning my life choices. But the heat was so addicting, I couldn't stop dunking more meats, veggies, and noodles in the pot, all while praying to the fire gods for mercy.

The staff? On point. They gave me that "you’ll be fine" look as I chugged water like it was a competitive sport. But the flavors were so rich and savory, it was like a spicy symphony in my mouth (if symphonies involved uncontrollable tears and deep regret).

Honestly, though, if you can survive the heat, you’ll leave with a smile, a full stomach, and the satisfaction of knowing you’ve conquered the dragon. If you love spice and an unforgettable dining experience, this is the place. Just bring milk. Lots of milk.

10/10 – would...

Average hotpot joint, however the forced dipping sauce charge ($5 per person, regardless if you have any) left a bad experience. When I queried the sauce charge, the gentleman used the analogy of how tea at Chinese restaurants also charge on a per head basis, but my response is: not if you don’t order tea in the first place… He also kindly explained that dipping sauces COMPLETES the hotpot experience, which almost made me question my 20+ years of hotpot experience across Asia, Europe and Oceania. Regrettably, this is the first time I been to an establishment that forces you to pay for something you explicitly decline to have (also first to offer chicken powder at its dipping station/trolley). If you must make sauces mandatory for whatever reason, I’d recommend building it into the cost of the soup bases, rather than have it as a separate option on the menu. If you feel like you have to ‘man’ your dipping sauce trolley, then you have the wrong attitude to customer service sir- treating all your diners as potential dipping...