Genuine Food & Travel Review

FOOD FAQ

What is a hotpot? Hotpot is typically a communal way of eating a simmering soup together with options of meat and vegetables. These ingredients are either put in the simmering soup or dip in to the soup.
What is in a hotpot soup? The hotpot soup offerings vary very much based on the restaurant. In North America it is not uncommon to have the pot with a metal divider in which people can enjoy multiple broths in one pot. This could range from a mild stock broth to tomato soup to a spicy mala soup. Many options for the hotpot enthusiasts to try!
Who invented a hotpot? Hotpot is believed to be originated in ancient China which traces back all the way to Zhou dynasty. However, given how far back it went there were many theories on how it was invented. One of the theory is that it originated from the nobility diners in that period derived from ran lu in which each diners would have their own bronze pot.

Value & Vibe

Value: Overall great value! Great selections of meat/seafood and vegetables. The price is a flat rate of $3.99/100g. It is not necessary cheap as a meal but its in line with a similar offering downtown Toronto. The quality of seafood really stands out for its value. The nice thing about this is that since it is per weight you can put as much or little as you would like, for those who do not eat as much there is no minimum weight either!

Vibe: As busy as the restaurant is, I found the vibe to be really nice! Not too overly crowded by the seating area. The staff was also very attentive from the moment of you coming in until you leave. Given how popular it is, there is most likely a line waiting so it is probably not one of those place to hang out, but more of a nice efficient dining experience restaurant.

Taste

Lets first start with the offering of the ingredients. There were quite a variety of options that you can choose from ranging from seafood, meat, vegetables and other toppings.

The first picture shows mainly the seafood and the meat that I chose then I added some more vegetables and tofu on top!

To check out you simply put all the ingredients into the bowl. Then at the counter, all you have to do is weight it and chooses the broth. In this case, I chose the “Spicy Mala Soup”

Similar to other Chinese hotpot restaurant, there is also a make it your own sauces area. The REALLY NICE part about this place is that there is a giant screen with the recommended recipe in ENGLISH. I actually have been wondering on how to create the sauce FOREVER so this is fantastic. I didn’t think something as simple as a guide would change my outlook on a restaurant this much, but this was a major point for a non Chinese speaking person like me!

Once I had everything ready, I dove right in! Please note that this style of hotpot is an individual style of hotpot meaning that you typically will get your own bowl. Of course you can choose to share it with the others, but for this type of restaurant, its typically your own bowl. I found the spicy mala to be actually lighter than the usual mala. This soup probably will be more appealing for those enjoying to eat the actual broth as well. For those who had mala before, it is lighter than the typical dipping mala soup. To my preference it could also be slightly spicier but it was actually a nice change as it allows me to enjoy the sauces that I have made more. Overall, I would love to come back and also try their other broths.

Lastly, they gave us a free ice cream as desserts before leaving!

Overall, I highly recommend this hotpot place. For those hotpot enthusiasts, I think there is enough variety for everyone. For those who is a beginner in hotpot, the individual style pot is easier for you to manage as you can choose the broth as well as the ingredients of your choice without having it to share with people. I can honestly see why this place is so popular and always have a line.

My only recommendation is if you are coming for dinner COME early. We went at 4:30pm and there was already a line. OR if you are coming at peak hours, prepare yourself knowing that you may have to wait a bit. I personally will come again to try a different soup.

Score

Atmosphere: 8/10 (Excellent host and service despite its popularity and size of restaurant)
Price: 9/10 (Outstanding flat price for the quality of seafood. No minimum)
Taste: 7.5/10 (I would give a higher score on just the seafood selection. Overall great broth but I think the mala could be a bit better. I would like to try a different soup first before revising the score on this)

Scale:
Would not recommend: Below 2
Need some improvement: 3-5
Average: 5
Decent: 6
Great: 7
Excellent: 8
Outstanding 9+