Mings Steamboat is great.
You really need to go to Ming's in a group, and i'll tell you why.
The first time I whent to Ming's steamboat was shortly after it had opened.
At that time I had no idea what a steamboat was. I had merely stumbled in to get a quick bite to eat before a life drawing class situated down the road.
I ordered the wanton soup which was about $12. I thought was a little bit expensive, but probably ok.
After a while the waiter returned with the biggest bowl of wanton soup I had ever seen, it was big enough for more than two people, and I am not exaggerating because it came with a ladle in it. As I decadently started consuming the wantons, ladel in hand, I caught a glimpse out the corner of my eye the table next to me and then gazing around the room I saw that I was the only person in the room eating alone and that everyone else was up to something much more interesting.
STEAMBOAT
Now that I am a self proclaimed steam boat expert (having been there three of four times) I will tell you how it works.
Effectively, the idea behind steamboat is that you cook your own food at the table in a big vat (the hotpot) of bubbling oily stock. Each table is equipt with a small burner stove upon which the hotpot sits. You order various raw ingredients such as meats (i reccomend upsizing to the special beef, it is more expensive but much fresher), vegetables, seafood and seafood balls, mushrooms fungi and a couple of even more interesting items and chuck them in the pot of stock until they cook.
There is also a variety of stocks to choose from, flavoured not only with the base meat (or vegetable for that matter) but also with various herbs and spices. I prefer the hot chili variety but this is not always everyone's favourite (remember, this is no fun by your self). Luckily, it is also an option to get a divider put in the pot to allow for two different types of stock to be going at once. There is a small additional charge for this feature, but better than having to order two pots of stock. I quite like the variety and will often do this even when everyone present is into chili.
The best part of steamboat is that once the food is cooked you get to fish it out with a little net, which is super fun, and, depending on who you are dining with, can potentially turn into a civil war over who gets the last fishball. read more