Niu Jiao Jian

Since it turns chilly, hot pot is exactly what is needed.

Heard some hub bub about the Bear Hot Pot, so of course, I MUST go check it out!

What to put in the hot pot: (L) fish balls (2 types of fish), squid ball, meat ball which makes a meatball combo.  Then, we added vermicelli. 

Got some sliced tofu which are good for soaking up the soup.  I love Enoki mushroom, it's like noodles to itself too.

Here's the piece la resistance: the Spicy Bear.  As you can see, it has chili paste, chili pepper, and more hot stuff.  If you've been following me, you'd know I don't do spicy and nor do I handle it well, but... here we go!

First, bear has to go to the onsen and take a bath... Ahhh.... the soup base itself is not spicy as they pour it in.

Sadly, bear face planted.... and now floating... It is really a frozen chili soup in a bear shape, it can take it!

While that's doing its thing, I went to explore.  They have a bar full of mixin's...

You have your sauces and spices...

Pickled veggies and more sauces...

Some appetizer, such as egg roll and sesame balls and...

shrimp chips.  By the way, one of our friend dipped it in the soup, it does not bout well when it is dipped in the soup to cook.  Just FYI.

We've added flank steak.

Woodear mushroom, which is way more watery than I'd like them to be.

We also added on: lotus (which should be treated like a potato when trying to cook it, meaning it takes longer time to cook), catfish, and beef tripe.  The fish was thinly sliced, so you can really cook it quickly.  The tripe however does take a long time to cook it well.  Just a heads up.

We went on a Sunday afternoon, so it wasn't as busy as a lot of people have experienced.  That said, as usual, when it's cold out, people tend to crave hot pot, so time your visit accordingly.

In case you're wondering, they are not in the same shopping center as Cafe 101 or Jungle's cafe.  Nor do they have a pass thru, they are their own shopping center.  They were formerly Arirang Korean restaurant, and they have ample parking in front.  That said, I see that new shops are on their way, so that may change as they're open, but for now, parking is good.

Niu Jiao Jian

9715 Bellaire Blvd