I have been to the Red Chopsticks Restaurant before - shortly after they opened because I love hot pot. I grew up with it - we did not have it often but when we did - it was a huge family affair!
I even remember after having my wisdom teeth removed - it was thanks to my grandpa having a hot pot that we were able to cook anything because the electricity had been blown out due to a hurricane!!
I had written my review via Instagram back in April of 2019 shortly after they had opened.
If you don't know what "hot pot" is - it is a way of cooking food together with your friends and loved ones - Asian style.
You are given a pot of broth, a selection of meat or fish and vegetables with noodles (and perhaps rice on the side) and you cook the food yourself.
Why in the world would you go to a restaurant that will have you cook your own food?!Because it's delicious and it's a cultural experience and it is best shared with friends! It can also take up quite a bit of space as well and can be quite costly to get all the ingredients yourself - plus the hot pot and induction heater can be costly and in my case - not easily found in Finland!
I was very fortunate enough to sit down with Zhihua Peng - owner of the Red Chopsticks and with the help of her son Sampo, acting as translator for us - got down to our interview.
"What brings you to Finland - specifically Turku?
My husband is a chef and he moved to Finland 1.5 years prior to us in 2003. He chose Finland because he has some friends here.
Was it difficult to propose the business idea of having a hot pot-style restaurant?
There was no difficulty in proposing the idea but Finns and locals don't really have an idea of what hot pot is.
And due to the language barrier - it makes it hard to tell the customers what the concept of the hot pot is.
What can customers expect when visiting here for the first time?
We of course want to provide good customer service, give a new experience because hot pot is a very different way of enjoying a meal.
There is one other hot pot restaurant but it is in Helsinki and we are not affiliated with them.
You can be served in primarily in Finnish and Mandarin - occasionally in English depending on who is working!
Other than hot pot - what else do you serve to customers?
We serve authentic Chinese food whereas many other Asian restaurants serve more Western style Asian food. We have another restaurant in downtown Turku called Tsing Tao and in Kaarina of the same name "Tsing Tao" but this is the only hot pot restaurant in Turku.
The Tsing Tao restaurants are more of a mix of authentic Chinese and Western Chinese food.
Tsing Tao in downtown Turku opened in 2010 while the one in Kaarina opened earlier in 2008.
Do you find majority of your customers are Finns or expats?
Typically more Finns and many of them don't know about the other two restaurants we have.
What is the customer's general reaction or feelings toward trying the hot pot culture here?
At first customers seem quite nervous and it is a challenge for Finns to try something so new and unheard of.
But once they do - they really enjoy it and are very happy and we think of hot pot as more of an experience than a dinner.
We have had 100% positive feedback about the hot pot dining experience!
How do customers find you - online or through word of mouth?
They usually find us online through social media. But the thing is we do have a video in the restaurant on a large television screen on how to use the hot pot and nobody seems to watch it. Of course we can explain it as best as we can but if someone is a native English speaker and doesn't speak Mandarin or Finnish - there may be a language barrier.
What are the PROS and CONS (or challenges) of having an expat-based business in Finland?
The PROS is that we are able to offer an alternative choice in dining and food, we are spreading our culture and customers with Asian experiences (from travelling or via family/friends) can experience hot pot and our food locally.
There are not really any CONS because we started the businesses over ten years ago and when we started - there wasn't any competition. The only competition out there now is a lot more sushi restaurants or sushi being offered with lunch buffets.
Would you be interested in expanding your business within Turku or elsewhere in Finland?
There is an interest in expanding the Red Chopsticks in the future - maybe in a few years but for now, no.
Is this a franchised business or 100% local?It is a 100% local business.
Do you offer catering services for customers?
If held here - yes we can set something up in advance. For example we have had Christmas parties here and graduation parties too.
Unfortunately we cannot cater outside the restaurant due to potential language barriers.
Are customers able to order meals via take-away, Wolt or Foodora?
Yes they can but not with the hot pot. Even if the customer has a hot pot at home - we do not offer the hot pot ingredients take-away in case a box of ingredients gets mixed during transportation, for example, then there is a strong possibility of a food poisoning risk. We don't want the customers to get sick so we only offer the a la carte menu food for delivery and take-away.
Do you participate in the SYÖ Turku! events?
Yes this is our second time participating!
Because you are listed first in the SYÖ Turku event on their website - do you feel that participating in this event has benefited you for an increase in customer flow or not so much?
After the first time we participated - a lot of people saw the listing and found us - so then it was a benefit.
But now we do not see any huge increase or decrease in customer flow because of SYÖ Turku.
Do you find customers easily learn and adapt to the idea of the hot pot?
It can provide a challenge over all if it's their first time having hot pot but if they know someone with experience of having hot pot then they adapt easily.
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| A variety of sauces |
It is 50/50 because at lunch we have a hot lunch buffet between 11:00 - 15:00. We offer a variety of warm dishes and sushi.
We do not offer hot pot as part of the lunch buffet but you can get the hot pot and choose your 5 vegetables and 5 protein choices for the same price as the evening hot pot buffet for 24,80€.
We will serve you the hot pot at lunch time and provide you your selection because we have limited space - this is why we do not offer a hot pot buffet at lunch time.
Is hot pot more popular with those who are familiar with hot pot already (i.e. Asians) or moreso with those that have learned about hot pot as something exotic (without an Asian background)?
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| I love the little play area for kids! |
In Asia when you are having pot - everyone has their individual small hot pots to cook in and it is more hygienic this way. The Western style is more about sharing.
I shared that I have been to China twice and in both instances have dined in Chinese restaurants where we shared a hot pot (usually one had a spicier broth side of the pot and the other not so spicy - like what is served in the Red Chopsticks) and they said yes that is also common as well for large groups or families.
What would you like your customers to know about yourself and your business?
We have been open since the end of March 2019 and we are a restaurant that doesn't want to only provide you dinner but the main point is to provide a new experience for our customers with good customer service!
Where do you see yourself in 12 months, 5 years and 10 years time with the Red Chopsticks Restaurant?
In twelve months - probably not much change to be honest.
In five and ten years - that is a challenge to predict as it is a challenge to run this place due to Finnish immigration. It is very difficult to get chefs that have experience in authentic Chinese food that are very skilled as well.
So due to this - we have very limited staff and cannot market ourselves too much due to the limit of staff."
I want to thank the staff of the Red Chopsticks Restaurant for providing me with very precious time for this interview, a translator to ensure everything was understood correctly, the oppourtunity to enjoy their delicious hot pot and excellent customer service!
I felt warmly welcomed from the moment I said hello and felt very relaxed in a peaceful environment with the aroma of fresh, hot food being prepared consistently.
The decor reminds me of home a lot and I felt very comfortable being there and also bringing friends there as well!
If you do get the oppourtunity - please do visit the Red Chopsticks - it IS an excellent oppourtunity to try something delicious and new, share a cultural moment with friends and if in doubt - look up at the large television screen for the video on how to do hot pot! 😋
You can find them on Facebook here and Instagram here.
LAFA
If you are interested in being featured in my blog and being interviewed - you can reach me at:
learningaboutFinland(a)gmail.com
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