Hotpot also known as steamboat, is a Chinese cooking method, prepared with a simmering pot of soup stock at the dining table, containing a variety of East Asian food and ingredients. While the hot pot is kept simmering, ingredients are placed into the pot and are cooked at the table, in a manner similar to fondue. Typical hot pot dishes include thinly sliced meat, leaf vegetable, mushrooms, wonton ( s a type of Chinese dumpling), egg dumpling, tofu, and seafood. The cooked food is usually eaten with a dipping sauce. (Ref. wikipedia)
I tried the Mala hotpot, the soup is Mala, if you want it more spicy just ask to put more Mala in the soup. Mala sauce is a popular oily, spicy, and numbing Chinese sauce which consists of Sichuan peppercorn, chili pepper and various spices simmered with oil.
After I ate a little my tongue started to feel numb. I don't think it's as spicy as Thai chili but, Mala will make your mouth numb and Thai chili will burn your mouth.