We came to V Yan Hot Pot & BBQ for lunch for two and chose the combination Hot Pot + BBQ option for…read more$36.99 per person. There's a lot to choose from, but overall, I don't think the combination was worth the price.
For the hot pot, we tried the Original Style broth and the Chinese Herbal Style broth. The Original was okay, but the Chinese Herbal broth was really delicious and easily the better of the two.
We tried fatty beef, Kobe beef, sliced beef belly, premium beef, Angus beef, steak ribs, house special pork belly, tripe, shrimp, oysters, lobster balls, tofu, seaweed, watercress, Napa cabbage, corn, pumpkin and udon noodles.
The steak ribs were one of the standouts and were a very good cut of meat. The pumpkin was surprisingly good too. It tasted almost like they added butter to it. Unfortunately, the Angus beef was disappointing. There was practically no marbling, and it was a very tough cut of meat. Most of the other items were just okay.
Another issue was the bathroom. It wasn't maintained particularly well, which stood out even more because the restaurant wasn't very busy when we arrived. When a restaurant isn't crowded, I expect areas like the bathroom to be kept in better condition.
Dessert was probably the weakest part. In my opinion, the dessert selection was almost nonexistent. There was ice cream and only a couple of other choices, including red bean and a tapioca dessert. The tapioca tasted like it came from a can.
For $36.99 per person, the Hot Pot + BBQ combination just wasn't worth it for us. There were too many items that were simply average, especially considering the price. If we had chosen just the hot pot, however, I think I would have felt differently. The Chinese Herbal broth was excellent, and the hot pot alone would have felt like a much better value.
Overall, there were some definite highlights, but between the inconsistent meat quality, limited dessert selection, bathroom upkeep and the overall price, three stars feels fair.