Is this the hottest pot in Brooklyn?

By Alex Rush

At the Bensonhurst Sichuan restaurant Spicy Bampa, pleasure is pain.

The 18th Avenue eatery specializes in hot pots, a bubbling cauldron of oil, chilies and peppercorns that isn’t too common in South Brooklyn — though that could change now with the emergency of the 18th Avenue Chinese scene, with Spicy Bampa at the forefront.

The four-year-old restaurant’s hot pot special is a real steal at $15.95 per person on weekdays ($18.95 on the weekends). It’s served with a platter of raw meats, fish and veggies to dip in the boiling oil, including sliced lamb, beef, head-on shrimp, eggplant and even noodles. There are also three cooling sauces: a soy and fish sauce-based concoction, sesame sauce with tofu, and minced garlic with oil.

Hot pot is popular all over China, as it’s essentially the country’s version of fondue.

“Just dunk in the meat or vegetables, wait five minutes and then it’s done,” said Carmen Ng, a waitress at Spicy Bampa who was kind enough to give us a hot pot lesson.

The oil is hot, but it’s nothing compared to But the fire of the Sichuan peppercorns, which burn like drops of Tabasco on your tongue — if you’ve first pricked it all over with a pin.

Some of the Spicy Bampa staff can’t even take the heat. 

“I don’t like the spice,” Ng said. “I just get the soup broth.”

The restaurant also offers a more mild, savory hot pot and a full menu, including its $4.95 lunch specials.

Spicy Bampa [6920 18th Ave. between 69th and 70th streets in Bensonhurst, (718) 236-8088]