Originated during the Guangxu period in China, Feng Wang Fu Hotpot, or FWF in short, is a hot pot restaurant chain that specializes in authentic style Chengdu hot pot. Chengdu hot pot is also known as Spicy Sichuan Hotpot, and is famous for its numb and spicy flavor. The hot pot restaurant chain currently has four outlets in Malaysia, including One Utama shopping mall, PJ, Fahrenheit88 shopping mall, Bukit Bintang, Klang and Gurney Paragon, Penang.

Inspired by the classic palaces of China, FWF Hotpot offers a sumptuous setting for a hotpot meal. As soon as you stepped into the restaurant, you will instantly transported back to ancient China. The details in this restaurant are magnificently intricate, with traditional Chinese wooden columns and beams, red hanging lanterns, dedicated-carved wooden screen dividers and wooden tables and red bench seats. 

Once seated, the waiting staff will mix a dipping sauce for you, which consists of fundamental condiments such as minced garlic, bird's eye chili, green scallions, coriander, oyster sauce, soy sauce and their in-house brand of sesame oil. 

The dipping sauce as important as the broth as it enhance the taste of the blandly cooked food. The sesame oil, which is airflown in from Chengdu, adds a unique fragrance to the ingredients. 

However, the dipping sauce is not complimentary. The restaurant charges RM 6 for sauces, condiments and free flow of Chinese Tea. 

A slice of white bread is also provided for you to soak up the excess oil from the ingredients cooked in the spicy hot broth before eating. This will help you avoid consuming too much oil and spice over the course of the meal.

There are four soup bases on the menu, which include signature Spicy Mala Soup, Vitamin C Tomato Soup, Beauty Collagen Bone Soup and Chinese Herbal Mushroom Soup. You can choose up to three soup bases per pot, with the most popular options being Mala, Tomato and Pork Bone soup bases. 

Price: Mala Soup - RM 26.90 | Bone Soup - RM 19.90

We ordered two types of soup bases - signature Spicy Mala Soup and Beauty Collagen Bone Soup. For those who can take the heat, FWF's Mala broth is definitely a must-try. There are 3 levels of spiciness (mild, medium, extreme)  you can go for, depending on your spice tolerance.  

Loaded with Sichuan peppercorns, dried chilis and a thick layer of chili oil, the bubbling cauldron of spicy numbing soup looks intimidating. The soup was strong and extremely spicy, even though we opted for mild spiciness. 

The Beauty Collagen Bone Soup, was simple but hearty and rich. It has a strong pork smell, which might be a little off-putting for some people. But it was surprisingly light and delicious. Red dates, corn, tomato and mushrooms also added depths of sweetness to the soup.

FWF's menu is not extensive, but it has a variety of premium meat, vegetables, tofu, mushrooms and seafood on offer. Some of the chef's recommendations include Snowflake Beef Slice, Beef Tripe, Taiwan Fish Ball, Handmade Bamboo Shrimp Paste and Dory Fillet.

Price: RM 39.90 (Whole)

We ordered their highly recommended snowflake beef slices. The beef is sliced thinly, so you can enjoy them in shabu-shabu style. 

However, the beef slices were too lean. It turned out a little tough and dry after cooking. 

Price: RM 18.90 (Half)

We also ordered their inner Mongolia lamb slices to try. This is also one of their highly recommended items. 

Despite the modest amount of fat, the lamb slices were so soft and tender that they fell apart almost immediately in my mouth. I also like that the meat did not have an off-putting gamey flavor. 

We also ordered Beef Tripe to try.  For those who do not know, Tripe is the inner lining of the beef stomach. Sounds a little gross, but luckily it didn't smell bad.

Price: RM 19 (Half)

The Toman fish fillet were very tender as well. There was no fishy or muddy taste at all.Baby Cabbage

Leafy greens are great palate cleanser when you are feeling overwhelmed with the hot pot's intense spices. But I don't really recommend ordering a lot of veggies because I feel that they are not worth the money. We ordered just two - baby cabbage and cucumber slices. 

We love the crisp texture and refreshing taste of the cucumber slices. There are three ways to eat the cucumber slices. You can eat it raw, dip it into the soup for 3 seconds for a crisp texture, or dip it into the soup for a few more seconds if you prefer it to be softer.