This self-serve hot pot spot opened in mid-March and quickly gathered attention, so we made the effort to check it out. We visited on a Thursday around 11:30 AM--not long after they open at 11--expecting it to be relatively quiet. The restaurant is tucked into the corner of Parker Place Mall, but don't count on finding easy parking. The lot is tight, and spots near the entrance are scarce. The exterior is modest and easy to miss, but once inside, we were pleasantly surprised: the space was clean, bright, and spacious.
Two walls are lined with shelves holding a massive variety of ingredients--over 100 different options including seafood, meat, vegetables, noodles, and drinks. You grab a bronze pot and tongs, then choose whatever you like: everything from fish slices and frog legs to pig's blood and even mini abalone on skewers. Since pricing is by weight (currently $3.98 per 100 grams), it's best to avoid items with shells. Thankfully, they offer shell-free or half-shell mussels as well.
Orders over $15 come with a complimentary Chinese burger or specialty drink--though let's be honest, it's an upsell tactic to encourage bigger portions. We both had the Chinese Burger but found the doughs chewy and not flakey as it should be.
There are six soup bases to choose from. I went with a simple chicken broth, while my wife picked the spicy option, which turned out to be a bit too intense. Both the broth and dipping sauces were packed with chili, and it ended up overpowering the actual flavor of her ingredients.
The hot pot arrives pretty well-cooked, served with chopsticks and a soup spoon. At the self-serve sauce station--right next to the ice cream machine--you can mix your own dipping sauce. I made mine with peanut sauce, soy sauce, green onion, ginger and a touch of chili oil. My wife, unfortunately, chose another spicy mix, which didn't help her already fiery broth.
The sauce bar was well-stocked with essentials like sesame oil, black vinegar, MSG, chili oil, shredded ginger, and green onions. The basic broth I chose paired nicely with fresh fish slices and other proteins. However, the vegetables were overcooked--pale and mushy instead of vibrant and crisp. As someone with decades in the restaurant business, I follow the core principles of colour, aroma, and taste, and sadly, the overcooked greens missed the mark. It's likely they just pour the soup in and boil it all at once, rather than treating delicate ingredients separately.
Strangely, steamed rice wasn't available--a staple in Chinese cuisine. Instead, they offered various types of dry noodles, mostly similar to instant ramen.
Once everything's cooked, ingredients shrink, and what you're left with is essentially a bowl of soup with some meat or seafood. At over $90 for two people, it felt overpriced. You're definitely paying for the novelty and convenience--more of a trendy experience than a value-driven meal.
As for dessert, they offer a single serve of rose vanilla soft-serve in a small black charcoal cone, with a sign firmly requesting "ONE CONE EACH!" Unfortunately, the texture was more like a watery sorbet than a rich ice cream or gelato. After spending close to $100, being limited on a mediocre dessert left a bad taste--figuratively and literally.
In summary, we weren't blown away and will likely explore other hot pot spots in the future. So stay tune for our next hot pot adventure!
Overall Ratings:
Food: 3.5/5
Service & Ambience: 4/5
Value: 3/5 read more