Let's start this review off by giving you some background info about me. I've been to all the hot…read morepot places (Chilly Flow, Dainty Sichuan...you name it) in Box Hill and Glen Waverley, as well as a few other regions. I can tell you there are two types of hotpot in general: One that you pay for each ingredient (Usually Expensive, higher food quality), and one that's all you can eat. (Usually better Value, lower quality). Among all the hot pot restaurants I've tried, there is virtually nothing that can compare to House of Delight in terms of food quality and value for dollars. Zilch. Nada.
Some information about this restaurant: House of Delight is actually not new. They have another restaurant that was insanely popular but was demolished due to an expanding shopping center. This used to be their second restaurant, their Ron Weasley. Their spock. Now it's their flagship, and hopefully more are coming.
House of Delight offer all you can eat buffet style hot pot, which is an exceedingly rare feature these days. Most other all you can eat hot pot are priced at around 35 dollars lunch, and upward 45+ dinner (some you have to pay for soup base on top of the per head cost).
House of Delight is priced at around 29 dollars lunch, 42 dollars dinner. Chilled Water is free. You don't even pay for rice. This really is the best value you're ever gonna get anywhere.
The food quality is consistently in line with other hot pot restaurants in the region, if not flat out better. The broth is fragrant, spicy and lips numbing - which, by the way, is the whole point of Sichuan cuisine (duh!) - and those who can't deal spicy will be delighted by their many other choices such as Tomato beef and clear herbal broth. The cooked dishes are decent extras that you can partake, though at 29 dollars you shouldn't expect a la carte menu quality food (they do have those, and while they taste much better, you do have to pay for them). Some are still great, others are average. I generally recommend against munching on those, however. When dining in a hot pot restaurant, you should be there for the hot pot, and for 29 dollars you get all you can eat prawns and crabs. If you are an experienced diner, you should know that is incredible value for money.
Another big plus is the service. The service at this restaurant is much more professional than any other hot pot places you will ever dine at (unless you dine at CBT, where you can be expected to pay over 130 dollars for a dinner for two, and even then it's not guaranteed). Waitresses greet you, remember your face if you're a regular, hurry to clear your plates, fill up your broth without needing to be asked to...
No wonder this place always seems packed.
Here are some pros and cons for people who are allergic to reading:
Pros
- Incredibly high value for your money. (High CP value.)
- Consistently higher than average quality ingredients.
- Great selection of food, both cooked and uncooked (fruits, desserts...)
- Great ambiance
- Quality Service
- A variety of sauces to choose from (This is a staple of hot pot restaurant, so it's not that big of a plus, but it's worth mentioning that you do not have to pay for these. In some other restaurants, you do.)
Cons
- Quality of the buffet food can be a hit or miss depending on your time of visit. Great if you catch them while they were freshly cooked, average otherwise.
- Can be a bit of a wait due to the restaurant's popularity. Booking in advance is recommended.
- The tables are a little bit small, and so are the pots. this is important because you can't cook too many things at once. If you do the spicy broth may spill into the clear broth.
Overall:
No restaurant is perfect, but this one comes pretty close.
Solid hot pot, Decent food. Definitely worthy of a visit for my fellow stingy brothers.