Call it a well-balanced concoction - the soup bubbling away in yin/yang-shaped pots at Shan, a new Mongolian-style hot pot restaurant in Thong Lor 17, is drawing in diners keen to test the power of herbs.

Prepared from hunks of organic black chicken and a stack of 20 or more Chinese herbs, this broth is renowned for bestowing health and heat to those who partake. This might seem strange, considering that most of us are already bathing in the steam of Bangkok's streets.

"People always ask, 'Why a hot pot in Thailand where the weather is already very warm'," says Toru Tanaka, Shan's proprietor. "But we now spend most of our time in air-conditioned places, so it's still necessary to keep nice and warm."

Shan's hot pot is an old Chinese recipe that has been jealously guarded, passed down from generation to generation.

Tanaka, originally from Osaka, purchased it from a Chinese chef when he retired a few years ago. Though he had no intention of opening a restaurant in those days, the recipe came in handy when he was looking to start a business in Bangkok earlier this year.

"I used to have a small Japanese noodle restaurant in Bali," says Tanaka. "But after the bombing last year, everyone, including me, left their businesses and fled. I was on the verge of returning to Japan when I stopped over in Bangkok and saw an opportunity."

Impressed with Bangkok's modern metropolis, Tanaka decided to take a shot at the market. He looked for ways to get back to what he knew - the restaurant business - but competition was tough. There are already more than 300 Japanese restaurants in the city. When his thoughts turned to opening an Italian place, he discovered that there were more than 200.

"That's when I remembered the old recipe I bought from the Chinese chef long ago. I realised that people are looking for healthier options and my recipe offers all the benefits they want."

Back in the old days, people ate hot pot to protect themselves against the freezing Chinese winters. In central China, says Tanaka, you can still see people huddling over a steaming pot on cold days, sharing a bowl of soup. The secret is the herbs that Tanaka's recipe uses, which boost the circulation, heating up the body and contributing to overall health.

"And we only use organic black chicken from a Japanese-run farm in Korat," says Tanaka. "We use its chicken and beef reared without chemicals, as they would interfere with the benefits our customers get from the soup."

As for the herbs, they are tricky to get hold of in Bangkok. As he can't get them from China, Tanaka says he has to source them from the Yaowarat area, carefully selecting them for quality.

Shan serves two kinds of herb-loaded soup made from the same secret chicken stock - a pale chilli-free version and its fiery red partner. Like other kinds of hot pot, there's a do-it-yourself element involved, with diners adding ingredients like raw meat, preserved bean curd (tao hu yee), ground chilli, fresh garlic and a squeeze of lime.

Shan offers a lunch set menu for two at Bt550++, which includes organic sliced Thai beef, organic Thai pork, sliced New Zealand lamb, a basket of fresh mixed vegetables, tofu, fresh salmon, shrimp and home-made meat balls. On its own, the soup of herbs has a distinctive taste, but is less rich than the Thai-style sukiyaki. The final flavour, though, is up to you.

When you are done fishing the meat from the soup, the waiter serves a dish of dried Chinese noodles that you can add to the leftovers to make yourself a final bowl. Or if you've got the space, you might want to opt for a bowl of rice porridge made from the soup of your choice for an extra Bt60.

Shan's set dinner for two is available at Bt990++. Set meals come with coffee or tea and home-made dessert of the day.

Shan is located on the 3rd floor of United Tower on Soi Thong Lor 17. Parking is available for the building.

Call (02) 712 6612-4.

Sirin P Wongpanit

The Nation