The building that is soon to be home to Mala Tang hot pot restaurant. (Photo: TBD Staff)

It was refreshing to read yesterday's news from ARLNow.com that there's a new restaurant planned for Arlington, and it's actually not a burger joint or a pizza place.

Mala Tang is to be Arlington's first Chinese restaurant offering the "hot pot" concept, as far as we can tell, and its owners are planning to open sometime this spring, according to a rep. The restaurant will be located at 3434 Washington Boulevard, in the same complex as the George Mason law school.

The restaurant's chef, Liu Chaosheng, knows his way around a hot pot. He opened Uncle Liu's Hot Pot in Falls Church last year, and also owns Hong Kong Palace, according to this Washington Post review of Uncle Liu's. One of his co-owners, as well as Mala Tang's general manager, are former managers from Asian fusion restaurant Mie n Yu in Georgetown.

If you've never had hot pot, think fondue, but only the brothy kind. Servers bring you large, bubbling pots of flavorful broth, and a number of utensils to use for dipping. A wide range of seafood, meat, and vegetables, and noodles can be dunked in the broth to cook, making for a family-style, communal eating experience.

Stay tuned to Mala Tang's Twitter feed for updates on exactly when the restaurant will open.