"You Choose" — Hot 7

Venue: Hot 7: Sichuan Hot Pot, Unit 2 Southside, Hurst Street, B5 4TD
Choice: Chong Qing Red Oil Pot Platter (£13) Chooser: Lin (Front of House)

Hot 7 is a new restaurant in Chinatown and it has zero online presence. Not even a Tripadvisor. The theme is Sichuan hot pots — giant bubbling, brothy basins bought to your table and hit from below with heat. Order your flavour, then order whatever it is you want to chuck in. We did what we do best and asked the staff to order for us and were overjoyed when they made what were clearly the most Western palette of picks. Lovely Lin ("Is it your first time," she asked with a wonderfully knowing giggle) suggested a half-and-half red oil and bone soup hot pot. We agreed. She then skilfully avoided "Big Blood Cubes," "Aorta,"  and "Fresh Brain"  in favour of "Fat Beef," "King Prawn Mash" and "Chinese Mushroom". What followed was the most fragrant, mind-bending, spice spangled, theatre-filled lunch we can remember. The beef arrives frozen and rolled up. In the bubbling stew it soon crispens and cooks, while the prawns will immediately sink to the bottom of your bubbling cauldron, to be salvaged only by the mini net which is your primary cutlery in this new world of eating. The bone soup (right) was forgettable, but the deep red Chong Qing (left) was a thunderclap to the senses. Honestly? We might never return, but every Brummie who lives by the foodie sword, needs this experience. Hit or miss, you'll come out smiling. Menu