King's Cross Hot Pot Night Picker: Own Pots for Colleagues

King's Cross is where a lot of remote teams finally meet in person. One colleague comes down from Leeds, another from Edinburgh, someone else steps off the Eurostar at St Pancras next door, and the London crowd walks over from the office. This hot pot night picker is about what to eat once everyone has arrived. A table where each person has a small pot of their own, in the Japanese shabu-shabu style, solves most of the awkward parts of a work dinner and still feels like a shared occasion.

A big shared pot is wonderful among close friends, but it can be tricky with colleagues you see on video calls more often than in person. Someone is vegetarian, someone does not eat beef, someone hates spice and someone else is nervous about reaching across the table for the ladle. Individual pots remove those small negotiations before they start.

Each person chooses a broth and a set of ingredients that suits them, cooks at their own pace and can stop whenever they like. Yet the experience is still shared. Everyone is swishing thin slices in the same rhythm, comparing broths and passing the sauces along the table. It feels like a team activity without anyone having to manage it.

The hardest part of the evening is often the arrival, not the meal. Trains from the north run late, the Eurostar queue can be slow, and people turn up with laptops and suitcases. Choose a meeting point that is easy to find, such as the big steps at Granary Square, and let the first arrivals wait there rather than holding a table half empty.

Ask everyone to drop heavy luggage at their hotel first if they can. Hot pot tables are crowded with plates and burners, and a large suitcase squeezed beside a chair is a nuisance for both diners and staff. If someone is coming straight from the train, choose a restaurant with space for bags or a cloakroom near the entrance.

The streets around King's Cross and Coal Drops Yard have a wide mix of restaurants, and more Japanese and pan-Asian kitchens now offer hot pot in some form. For a team night, look for a place that takes group bookings, has long tables or a private area, and serves individual pots rather than one shared pot in the middle.

A simple way to narrow the choice is to ask the Karpo APP for shabu-shabu or individual hot pot near King's Cross for a group of six, mentioning any dietary needs. Share the shortlist in the team chat and let people vote. It saves a long back-and-forth and gives everyone a sense of ownership before they even sit down.

Most shabu-shabu places offer a few broths, typically a clear kombu seaweed stock, a richer pork or chicken broth, a soy milk broth and sometimes a spicy one. Kombu is the classic and the safest choice for vegetarians, though it is worth asking whether any fish stock is used. Soy milk broth is creamy and mild and popular with people who are new to hot pot.

For ingredients, sets usually come with a choice of thinly sliced beef, pork or lamb, or a vegetable plate with tofu, mushrooms and greens. Ask the staff about halal or gluten-free options if anyone needs them, and order a couple of extra vegetable plates for the table. They tend to disappear faster than the meat once people start cooking. Remember that soy milk broth may not suit anyone avoiding soya, so mention allergies early.

Shabu-shabu takes its name from the swishing sound the meat makes in the broth. Hold a slice with your chopsticks, swish it back and forth in the simmering stock for a few seconds until it changes colour, then dip it in sauce and eat. Thin beef needs very little time, while pork should be cooked through fully before eating.

Put harder vegetables such as carrot, daikon and the white ends of the cabbage in early and leave them to soften. Tofu and mushrooms can go in next. Keep the heat at a gentle simmer rather than a rolling boil, which toughens the meat and clouds the broth. Skim off the foam occasionally with the small strainer provided.

Most places serve two sauces. Ponzu is a sharp citrus soy sauce, and it is lovely with vegetables and lighter meats. Goma is a creamy sesame sauce, and it goes well with beef and pork. Add grated daikon, chopped spring onion or a little chilli paste to taste. Trying both is part of the fun, and it gives colleagues something easy to talk about.

At the end of the meal, staff may offer to add rice and egg to your remaining broth to make a light porridge, or udon noodles to finish. This last course is often the most comforting part of the night, and it is a good moment to slow down, order a final drink and talk about the plans for tomorrow's workshop.

Seat people next to colleagues they rarely meet rather than their usual teammates. The quiet focus of cooking your own pot makes conversation easier for shy people, because there is always something to do with your hands. Keep any speeches short and save them for the point when the main ingredients are gone and the noodles are on their way.

Plan for an end time that works for the people with the longest journeys. Some may want to catch a late train home, and others will be tired after travelling all day. Settle the bill in one go so nobody is left counting coins at the end. Then let those who want to linger head outside for some fresh air. A short stroll together is often where the most honest conversations of the whole trip happen.

The best thing about eating at King's Cross is the walk afterwards. The wide steps at Granary Square lead down to Regent's Canal, and on a dry evening they are a pleasant place to sit with a takeaway coffee. The fountains in the square are lit at night, and the old coal warehouses glow behind them.

Walk along the towpath towards Camden for a few minutes if people want to talk a little longer, or turn back to the stations for those catching trains. For colleagues visiting London for the first time, it is a calm and memorable end to the day, and it makes the next morning's meeting feel a lot friendlier.