Whether it is the winter time, or the summer time, or in between seasons, the point is, pretty much ANYTIME out of the year, I can ALWAYS eat hot pot. Some might think this is strange to eat in the summertime especially in Hong Kong's famous summer heat, but with AC's blasting everywhere, Hot Pot is super achievable and not to mention yummy.
Golden Valley, is one of the BEST hot pot places I have ever been to in Hong Kong. They even have awards to prove it. However, regardless of hype, awards etc. I must taste with my own palette in order to judge if it really is THAT good. Oh...It was.
Soup bases: This is probably the first thing to distinguish a good hot pot place from a bad one. How creative are the soup bases and what are your options. I've had all kinds of soup bases for hot pot, ranging from just water to sichuan spicy to tomato soup base, but I have to say hands down, Golden Valley has the tastiest soup base of all. We ordered a yin-yang pot, meaning the option to have two soup bases instead of one. Since they were famous for their sichuan "Ma-la" (which basically translate directly to numbing spicy) soup base we got that as an option and the other we chose, sour cabbage fish head soup base. Holy Smokes. It absolutely blew my mind how good it was. Being a person who particularly likes tangy/sourness, I LOVED this soup base. Think of sauerkraut but in a pot of soupy deliciousness flavoured with fish head thats been cooked for hours. This is just the BASE for all that you are about to cook in it.
Soup base- 5 stars.
Sauce- When you eat hot pot, you have the liberty of creating your own dipping sauce. This is why I like hot pot so much. So much is within my control. Golden valley has an exceptional sauce stand. Usually at hot pot restaurants, you have the usual, spring onions, garlic, soy sauce etc. This sauce stand beats ALL sauce stands. You've got garlic, whole or sliced, four different kinds of soy sauces, sesame paste, fermented tofu paste, peanut paste, satay paste. Every condiment imaginable was at the sauce stand. Just like you would pick what you like at a buffet, you pick what you would like to concoct your own sauce.
Sauce stand- 5 stars.
I was equally impressed when our meats and veggies came. Everything was fresh, plated nicely and ready to be cooked. The beef was good quality. The intestines crispy, the bean curd was silky, the pork neck tender. AMAZING!!!!!! I literally enjoyed the entire meal. Overall golden valley has been one of the best hot pot experiences I have ever had. Take it from a person who Loves hot pot. read more