In 1897, 15-year-old Hayashida Heizadur went abroad to Hong Kong where he lived with a British family. He discovered several new kinds of soup: a Western consommé and a traditional Chinese chicken soup. Years later, he returned to his native Japan and launched modern fusion cuisine. Well, at least the hot pot version of it. In 1905, he opened a restaurant serving toritaipan, a white chicken broth soup combining elements of East and West. After over 100 years, Toritaipan (Hot Pot)–ji bai tang in Chinese–has arrived in Shanghai, and the place is packed. On a recent visit, I sat at the sunken wooden bar, ensconced between pairs of Japanese men. "90 percent of guests are Japanese," says Toritaipan staff Yu Jin. I ordered the set hot pot meal. The menu provides clear instructions. First, enjoy the broth; second, add veggies and chicken; third, in go the noodles. The waitstaff guided me along each step of the delicious process, beginning with the delivery of a large terracotta pot of broth. While the veggies softened in the boiling toritaipan, I bit into the fried chicken appetizer–steaming hot chunks of chicken in a ginger marinade. Toritaipan uses only free range chicken, and the difference in the depth of flavor is remarkable.

Also hoping to launch a culinary trend is 789 Xin Gai Nian (Hot Pot), meaning New Concept, an ambitious chain of inexpensive hot pot restaurants which launched less than a year ago in and already has five branches in prime areas. The Dongping Lu restaurant surrounds diners in a faux luxe environment with big swirly colors in the shag carpet, high-backed cushioned chairs and hanging red bead curtains. "Hot pot is a traditional Chinese way of cooking," says 789 executive Chen Ling, "but here the new concept is to serve Chinese food in a Western way: better service and better environment." At the "sauce bar" you can whip up your own dipping sauce from over 40 interestingly-translated liquids, including "sand tea weight is ruthless" (shacha zhong la). Several unique hot pot items include eleven kinds of ground meat which you can drop into your MSG-laden broth, sort of like drop biscuits but for hot pot. The goose meat is one of the most popular dishes. Says Chen, "You can't find it anywhere else, and the meat will remain tender no matter how long it has been boiled."

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