Boiling Point - Stinky Goodness, In A Personal Hot Pot Form (Monterey Park)

Boiling Point

This is a restaurant I should have written about long time ago, though as many of you know, my blogging queue is sadly growing by the day. In regards to Boiling Point, it's a Taiwanese restaurant that specializes in personal hot pots, similar to the ones found at night markets in Taiwan. Having grown up in Taipei, and my yearly return visits back to the Motherland, visiting one of the many night markets in Taipei has become commonplace in my itinerary. One of the more popular food stands, especially during the winter seasons are ones that offer personal hot pot like the ones served at Boiling Point.

Lunch Special Sign



Part of the Lunch Special (Old Point and Shoot Shot)

Though the prices will never be as cheap (or nearly as good) as the ones I've had in Taiwan, the lunch special at Boiling Point is quite a bargain for the amount of food given. For $8.99, you're given your choice of hot pot, choice of rice/vermicelli, and a choice of soft drink or tea (no refill). Dinner time prices are $9.99 per pot, without the soft drink. Still, a pretty decent price.

Sauces (From Left: Chili, Spicy Bean Paste, Garlic Soy Paste)

From the self serve sauce bar, you're given the choice of three sauces: chili sauce (normal, yet adds a nice additional spice to the hot pot and various cooked ingredients), spicy bean paste (a good alternative to those that can't handle the spice of the chili sauce with a subtle soy bean flavor), and finally, my favorite, the garlic infused soy paste (slightly thicker than soy sauce). All the sauces adds an interesting flavor to the hot pot ingredients, I'd suggest trying each to see which of the 3 you'd prefer the most, or just mix 'n match.

Pork Blood Rice Cake

Boiling Point offers a wide variety of a la carte side dishes to add on to the personal hot pot. From various frozen dumplings, vegetable, and meat. On this visit, we went with pork blood rice cakes, one of my personal favorites, though I personally know it will not appeal to many out there. Now, onto the main attraction, the personal hot pot...

House Special Hot Pot

Now, Boiling Point does offer a few various hot pots. From vegetarian pot, seafood pot, to a Korean Kimchi pot, there are about 7-8 different ones to choose from. However, in my numerous trips to Boiling Point, the ONLY pot I've ordered was the House Special Hot Pot. With the numerious ingredients (quail eggs, pork intestines, pork, tomatoes, pork blood, and the most important item, 4 generous portions of my favorite stinky tofu amongst the items) in the pot, along with either rice or vermicelli, it's quite a hearty meal in this recent cold weather.

Stinky tofu, especially with its name, can be hard to take in, as it was even shown on Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre Foods in its Taiwan episode. However, like with durian, moldy cheese, and even beer, it's an acquired taste. For those that are willing to try new things, disregard the smell of the restaurant (Yes, Boiling Point does stink a bit like Stinky Tofu) and try out the house special pot. However, for those that are less inclined, there are other options for you, without the stink! The pots comes in various spice levels. From mild to extra spicy, there's always a pot for everyone. Although I rarely would crave Boiling Point, eating here would remind me of eating at one of those Taiwanese night market stands, especially with the Taiwanese pop music in the background. Ah....good times!

*Note* There is also a Boiling Point located in Hacienda Heights.

Boiling Point
153 W. Garvey Ave.
Monterey Park, CA 91755
(626) 288-9876