Before you start penning irate letters, we should make it clear that the above quote is from Boiling Point’s own menu. This twee mantra describes the “Stinky Tofu Hot Pot”—a mélange of meatball, pork blood, pork intestine, and quail egg along with the stinky (fermented) tofu. Though this isn’t the best thing on the menu—they get the acrid, eye-watering smell of the tofu right, but the flavor’s not as strong as we like it—it represents the outer limits of Boiling Point’s menu, and why it has an almost exclusively Chinese clientele.

The menu is pretty much just hot pots and cold drinks (including bubble teas). Everyone’s eating the same thing; it’s just the contents of the hot pot that differ—curry fish balls, kimchi, lamb beef. More heat is available at the little spice bar if five stars isn’t enough (and it might not be).

It’s a sight to see, all the steaming hot pots coming from the kitchen to the tables—and it’s especially fun on a cold day. Boiling Point may not be compelling enough to warrant a long trip, but it’s a great lunch stop in Bellevue. Note that it’s really small, and gets packed at dinner, so don’t arrive with a large group.