Hitang Has It All: Noodle Robots, Bottomless Korean Hotpot and ... Shark-Shaped Shoes

Yes, Hitang was once known for cooking its food in spinning cauldrons blasted with Las Vegas-style balls of fire. But the Auburn restaurant is now focused on one thing: all-you-can-eat Korean hotpot for $29.95.

Sure, those swirling cauldrons (and their well-tossed, smoky noodle soup) lit up social media soon after Hitang’s opening in December – but co-owner Andrew Kim believes this change will suit diners and staff.

“That machine was supposed to speed up the cooking by heating from the bottom as well as shooting a flame into the bowl,” he says. “We realised that it just took too much time to get our food out to the customers.”

Staff also found it difficult to operate several blazing devices at the same time.

At Hitang today, the dining room is full of visible heat emerging from bubbling serves of Korean hotpot. The self-serve approach allows diners to select two soup flavours from the fridge (fish, tomato, a popular beef broth and a spicy offering that “ definitely contains chilli”), before loading up on ingredients at the buffet: Wagyu slices, fish cake skewers, king oyster mushrooms, bok choy, dumplings and more.

All meat is halal-certified, and there are unlimited house-made banchan (side dishes) – such as kimchi, marinated onions and pickled radishes – which is a timely budget-friendly approach as the cost-of-living crisis drags on.

“We try to keep it accessible,” Kim says. “We’ve had a lot of people who’ve dropped by saying that they’ve never had a hotpot before, but now they’re more interested in Asian food. I think that’s cool.”

Diners can also shell out for extras, such as a mountainous beef bulgogi starter, or fresh-as-possible machine-pressed noodles that swirl out of a robotic noodle-maker (they emerge in just 15 seconds and cook in two and a half minutes).

The all-you-can-eat hotpot option doesn’t have a time limit or restrictions on how many buffet trips you can make, but a $5 fee might be applied if there are leftovers to “nudge people to waste less”.

If diners aren’t in the mood for simmering ingredients in broth, there are other attractions – like the popular black bean noodles. Also known as jjajangmyeon, this Korean Chinese comfort food is consoling on a national level. It’s a staple on Black Day in South Korea: on April 14, single people dress in dark clothing and supposedly sob into their black bean noodles (though the dish is so well-loved that Koreans enjoy it throughout the year, regardless of relationship status).

Kim says their version is standard, but their bowls of viral perilla noodles stand out from the pack with freshly pressed buckwheat strands.

Hitang’s beverages – which range from blue lemonade to icy Korean red-bean drinks – are topped with Chupa Chups. Video screens play K-pop hits and fairy lights add warmth to a warehouse space that seats over 100 people.

This massive scale contrasts with Kim’s start in hospitality. He previously ran a food truck called Dawn House with his mother Gina Park. They offered marinated crabs, kimchi stews and other Korean foods for four years. After selling the business, they opened Hitang together. “She comes up with all the recipes and I handle everything else that involves English,” he laughs.

Ordering from Hitang’s QR-code menu, you can add shark-shaped slippers and Korean barbeque tables to your bill. All-you-can-eat hotpot and all-purpose shopping? Hitang honestly does it all.

Hitang
15 Silverwater Road, Auburn

Hours:
Thu & Fri 5pm–10pm
Sat & Sun midday–10pm

hitang.com.au
@hitang_aus