We are back again with another review of a hotpot restaurant. Last week we did a review on another hotpot place, this week we are going to a more traditional shared hotpot. Laojiumen Hotpot 9 is an all you can eat hotpot located in Scarborough. The amount of effort that they made in the decorations of the Chinese-themed restaurant is beyond my expectations. A good surprise!
Website: https://hotpot9.com/
FOOD FAQ
Where is Sichuan? Sichuan is a province in the South western part of China with the capital city being Chengdu.
What is Sichuan known for? Sichuan is the sixth largest economy state in China wihile being the largest in the western China. Fun fact it is known for the primary home of the endangered giant panda.
What is Sichuan Peppercorn? This is one of the essential ingredient for Sichuan style cuisine that we all love. It is technically not pepper but rather berries of prickly ash tree. The magic to Sichuan pepper is not necessary the spice of it but rather the tingling sensation that it produces. You may have tasted this ingredient in a lot of mala based food as well.
Value & Vibe
Value: It is not necessary cheap but I thought that the quality and the selection were relatively fair for an all-you-can-eat hotpot. Unfortunately, I do not have my receipt and I cant find the pricing on their website(I am sorry!). But it came out to be roughly around $40 CAD per person for two types of soup.
Vibe: The decorations of this place is next level especially in North America. This is a fantastic place for a larger group gathering. There are sections for smaller tables as well as semi-closed-off tables for larger group. If you are looking to impress a larger group in term of the Chinese decorations feel and style, this is the place!
Taste
Lets just get right into it! As you already know, one of the key differentiators in hotpot is the broth. This time we ordered two, one Sichuan spicy broth and another one tomato broth.
First the Sichuan spicy soup is spicy. But the good kind of spicy. A decent burn and tingling sensation with enough edge for you to want more. I wouldn’t eat the broth on its own though as it is more so for dipping. Now the real surprise for me is the tomato soup. I thought it was excellent! Especially when paired with a spicier soup. If eating just the tomato soup, it could lose its edge, but pairing it with the spicy soup was fantastic! Just when you need a break from the spice, the sweet and sour taste of the tomato soup brings you right back. Then you are ready to go again for more spiciness. If I am to rate, I think the tomato soup was slightly better but I would recommend pairing a spicier soup with a less spicier one if you have the option.
Before we even go to the selections of meat and vegetables, let’s talk about appetizers. I have a major soft spot for fried foods so I couldn’t resist. I would say the majority is mediocre but not too far from what you would expect from an all-you-can-eat station. The one that I think is decent is the fried chicken. But the fried food is definitely not the highlights of this place, but for someone like me who cant resist, you have a few options for your guilty pleasures!
Like most places, plenty of options for you to make your own sauce. I do wish that they translated the Chinese language to English (like the place from my previous post…) but not really complaining here, merely suggestions.
To my surprise many of the items you can simply go and grab. All your vegetables, toppings, and SEAFOOD are available in a section next to the fried food. So in this case, you do not need to order any seafood items, you can simply just walk over and grab them yourself which is pretty convenient.
Now to the main item which is the meat. All the red meat, pork, lamb, and beef, you will need to order. But as you can see here, we went with 3 people but they gave us a very generous amount on each plate. So be aware of the amount before you over-ordered. I would say to start with, order a plate to see the amount. I believe they also adjust the amount based on your group size (I could be wrong).
Overall the quality of meat was good. No particular items that stands out too much but the varieties of the meat and seafood were decent. So for an all you can eat, cant really complain here.
Then to close off the meal, saved a tiny bit of room for some ice cream and small desserts. The vanilla cake was good and you can’t really go wrong with the iconic asian flavored Melona ice cream!
Overall I would say that what really stood out to me was the themed decorations that would leave your guests impressed. I think the over-the-top Chinese decor is one of the main selling points along with the appeal of all you can eat. This would be a great place if you are looking to host a group of people that would appreciate a Chinese-themed restaurant without having to worry about choosing the menu items and the logistics.
Score
Atmosphere: 8.5/10 (Excellent decor. Great service)
Price: 6.5/10 (Decent price for all you can eat. I wouldn’t say cheap but compensated with varieties of offerings)
Taste: 7/10 (Pretty good. I think the tomato soup is the star here but overall great taste. No complaints.)
Scale:
Would not recommend: Below 2
Need some improvement: 3-5
Average: 5
Decent: 6
Great: 7
Excellent: 8
Outstanding 9+
Genuine Food & Travel Review 
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