Tien Wong Hot Pot

Visiting from CA and had the urge for some hot pot since it was getting cool outside. Reviews here looked good and the food did not disappoint!
We got the herbal soup along with beef, chicken, assorted Chinese veggies.
Didn’t expect much outside LA and the Bay Area and was pleasantly surprised. Great food, decent service, excellent price. Definitely will come back next time we’re in town.

I am giving one start only to facilitate my writing a review. I wouldn’t have bothered at all except that, after viewing this restaurant on Unilocal and recommending it to my daughter and her boyfriend, I feel so bad that they actually went here. It is the only restaurant in the Tempe area so far to rank below three stars to us. She is new to the Tempe area and a real foodie. He was visiting and is a shabu shabu fan. We are from SoCal so the availability of shabu shabu here is pretty good, as is the quality.
But enough about background info… Apparently the «shabu shabu» is served with ramen broth, which is not at all what we are used to. That, in and of itself, is fine as things may differ place to place and locale to locale. The fact that they got maybe six pieces of beef to SHARE, and that it wasn’t fresh like what they are used to, not so much. The food did not appear fresh in any way. Even the rice was dry as if it had been sitting out, and my daughter actually found a bug in hers. Very lovely. Service was unremarkable. All in all, this was a pretty hideous experience, and I don’t see how the restaurant merits a four star rating. Not sure where the reviews come from, but our recommendation is to STAY AWAY. Not good at all, which is too bad, because she was also looking forward to trying the ramen…

I was looking forward to trying the newly renamed T-​Spot for a tasty bowl of hot pot, but it sadly didn’t meet expectations. The blueberry boba tea was great, the service alright, they had pretty décor & the experience was nice, but perhaps better suited for a smaller party of two. After figuring out the menu & concept we chose a couple types of meat, veggies, noodles and two types of broth. The meat was lacking in flavor, barely a difference between the two different broths and not nearly spicy enough. Once cooked the portions were small and the bill we received nearly $ 70 for 3 was too much for so little. The meal left my wallet & my stomach empty.

Wow. Ramen and boba teas with the hot pot! I am in heaven! New name btw, T.Spot.
Came here to try the newly expanded menu and I have to say. it is the best ramen I have had in AZ!
The broth is simmered with pork bone and you can really tell the difference. Noodles are cooked perfect and I love the pickled ginger that comes with.
Tried the honey green tea with sea salt cream… And loved it. It’s sweet and creamy. Still craving it! Will be back for my usual Shabu hot pot fix. Looks like the quality of this place is still the best:)

I found out about this place through FB and Chow Bella in the PHX New Times. The picture of the Chili ramen pulled me in and I was dying to try it.
Its a fairly small, but open place. When I arrived there were two other tables of diners, having hot pot which looked great. The owner sat me on the other side, for Ramen.
I ordered a honey green tea, which was amazingly refreshing and hit the spot after a workout. This took a few minutes since its mixed at the bar, shaker style. BTW — this is BYOB.
My server was unfortunately awful and this is the major hit to the rating, as it affected the overall experience. It seemed like they had just pulled the guy off the street. He wasn’t familiar with the questions he should ask about my order, and couldn’t even inform me how to order. He didn’t know how spicy the Chili ramen was or what came in it… HE HAD NEVER TRIED THE FOOD!
So, he finally called for help and the other waitress informed me of what came in it, etc. Due to the hesitancy of the staff, I ordered the traditional ramen versus the Chili that caught my eye.
The broth was great, noodles perfect, aroma great. The things lacking… the ratio of pork to noodle was off and the sauce, which good wasn’t really flavorful. My waiter never came back to see how it was, so I contemplated for a good 10 minutes who I should ask for Chili sauce.
The owner came over half way in to my meal and chatted me up to see how I discovered the place. Very nice guy and I was able to score some 5 spice and chili sauce to kick up my ramen. Asking him about the Chili ramen, he said I could handle it based on what I was putting in there :).
Overall, decent food — but severely lacking in educated servers which can (and does) lead to dissatisfied customers. I’ll give this place another shot for the Chili ramen and then we’ll see…

This is the first time I’ve ever tried hot pot in Phoenix (I’m from Houston), but I have to say that it was pretty good! I think the prices are pretty fair. expect to spend at least $ 35 – 40 (including tip) for a party of two. we ordered two meats, two veggies, a noodle, and a tofu for two people and it ended up being $ 37 (with tip), but we were both very full afterwards!
tip: try the ice tofu. they make it by freezing it and it changes into this strange, layered textured that I can’t really describe very well, but it tastes delicious and it soaks up a lot of the broth so it’s very flavorful.
another tip: the mala spicy broth is SPIICCYYY. at one point I dipped the strainer into the broth to get some noodles and I came up with a ladle of 50% chili flakes and 50% noodle… very spicy! next time I think I’d get the half and half spicy/​original, just to give my tastebuds a little break!
décor and music are really cool and our server was extremely friendly, knowledgeable about the menu, and helpful (we didn’t know how long to cook the shrimp for, and we didn’t know the differences between all the tofus). I will be back soon :)

Headed to Chandler on a stormy rainy night for some Hot Pot. Found this place on Unilocal.We got seated right away, the restaurant was about ½ full. I didn’t think that Phoenix would have a Hot Pot restaurant but this place is a little gem. It’s not AYCE and there item list is really pretty good. We ordered the half spicy and half regular soup base. The items we ordered were the following:
Rib eye beef ⁴⁄₅ stars
Lamb ⁵⁄₅ stars
shrimp ⁴⁄₅
Pork blood ³⁄₅ very small portions
(2) cuttlefish balls ⁵⁄₅ ordered a second order
(2) napa cabbage ³⁄₅ the portions are small
bean stalk leafs ⁴⁄₅
glass noodles ³⁄₅ small plate
clams ⁴⁄₅
slices fish ⁵⁄₅ very good
mushrooms ⁵⁄₅
The restaurant has its own blend of sauces which was very tasty. The cut some cilantro, garlic and green onions for our table. The service was good. I don’t know how well Tien Wong will do in the middle of the Phoenix Summer.

We had a wonderful meal here with another couple. It was our first time so we were a little uncertain on what to order or how much. We ended up taking a lot of suggestions from the waiter who was well versed in the options. It is BYOB so we brought our own beer which was a good match with the food.
We did the half and half with the Lemongrass broth on one side and the ying/​yang on the other. We all loved both. We did a variety of meats (Lamb and beef) as well as some squid. Beautiful mushroom options and bok choi and a few other veggies. All four of us left perfectly full and the bill came in under $ 60. I saw a few other Unilocalers mention it was way overpriced and the broth was unflavored. A mystery to me.
The atmosphere is nice and cool lighting and contemporary style is a real nice touch considering the strip mall area it is in. The only down side I experienced is a stormy night produced a pretty nasty leak in the men’s room. They said they were renovating in a few days so I hope that is something they catch.
All is all it is a great concept and a great product. The service is excellent as well. Bring some beer and go have some fun with a group.

3 years ago Chef Johnny Chu set out to bring a hot pot restaurant to the Valley of the Sun. If you’re unfamiliar with Chef Chu he’s the proprietor of the hip and popular downtown Phoenix Asian tapas joint Sens. Now his dream is realized with the opening of Tien Wong Hot Pot.
Surprisingly his new restaurant isn’t even located in downtown Phoenix, but in the city of Chandler. After talking with Chef Chu on my last visit he explained to me that this location was selected to prove out his concept, in an Asian neighborhood. Low rent and a discerning customer base, he can make all the necessary tweaks for success and will hopefully bring Tien Wong to downtown in the future.
For many the whole hot pot experience might be foreign since many of us are used to having our food cooked for us, forget that. The idea of hot pot while romantic and interactive, is all about you cooking various meats and vegetables in hot pots filled with flavored broths. Each table is equipped with a high powered induction burner where you hot pot is placed, and then you order as many different raw meats, seafood, vegetables and noodles as you desire.
Once our order started showing up I become overwhelmed and confused, where do you start? What are the cooking times? What do I do? Before allowing my head to explode, I simply took a breather and one of the helpful staff to my aid. In my calamity I didn’t notice the helpful hints on the welcome card. However it goes something like this, the broth boils, you drop in the thinly sliced meats, pull out, dip into one of 2 sauces, sesame and soy, then eat, easy. After only a few minutes of practice it all came together into a well crafted experience that’s designed for socializing, romance and lingering.
If you have difficulty choosing your broth, opt for the Ying Yang Broth ($ 5.95) which includes both the house original herbal broth and the house spicy broth with the later being the most complex of the flavors I’ve tried. Starting with pork stock, the addition of dried dates, ginseng, Schezuan peppercorns and dried chiles give the base heat and depth. Over the course of your evening the broth evaporates with cooking which adds to the intensity and enjoyment.
Not to be confused with the tips of peas, Pea Tips ($ 4) actually are the leaves and stems surrounding the pea itself. The tips cook fast and have both crunchy and tender qualities that taste so good either cooked or raw. By contrast the Korean Pumpkin ($ 3) takes longer to cook but the payoff is so tender you can even eat the thin skin.
Noodles include springy Udon ($ 3) as well as a Flat Rice Noodle ($ 3) which resemble chewy flat pieces of rice than a noodle in the traditional sense. Both cook up in a hurry and their absorbent properties are capable for taking in so much flavor.
Sliced Wagyu Beef ($ 8) comes from one of the best breeds of cattle in the world. So its no surprise that the meat was flavorful and tender. Add an order of Lobster ($ 9), if available, for a surf and turf combo. Names aren’t always accurate descriptions, take Sliced Black Pork ($ 4) which isn’t black at all, the name refers to the pigs breed since it has black hair and skin. It’s super tender and flavorful only taking a few seconds to cook thanks to expert slicing.
Desserts feature 2 different kind of cheesecake, Strawberry ($ 6) and Green Tea ($ 6), both were light and satisfying, the perfect ending to Chef Chu’s dream.