They offered a cake for birthdays, so get ready for a celebration~
There's a parking lot available🅿️
#10% service charge
#Vegetarian
"I still remember this day; it was the last time I had a meal gathering with friends from the training program." by younger brother
<About the meal 🥣>
We ordered a pork hot pot with original flavor broth. To me, trying the most basic items from a restaurant is a good way to assess its quality. The meat slices and the self-service vegetable platter at this place were very fresh and nice (some of the vegetables had unique names). What intrigued me more was the noodle-making machine! I personally recommend trying the thick noodles; they were quite good.
<About the staff 👨🍳>
There was an older aunt among the staff, but she had an inexplicable warmth while working, serving you like a mother. In that moment, I really wanted to say: "I can do it myself!" 🤣.
<About the environment 🐾>
The overall environment was very nice. If the sauce area gets a bit messy from customers, a staff member would come to clean it up. However, the tables for dining in were a bit small; there were so many plates and food piled up on the table that it was a bit cramped.
The White Rice Police 👮🏻♂️ came with high hopes to enjoy the old hometown flavors. I had been looking forward to having a delicious sauerkraut and pork belly hot pot on this slightly chilly day, but I was quite disappointed.
First of all, there wasn't enough rice! We were the first group of customers seated at six o'clock and ordered five bowls of rice, but we waited a long time without receiving them. After prompting the waiter, they said there were only three bowls... by then, we were almost done with the hot pot, so I just asked them to bring it out first.
The rice itself was just mediocre, barely passing. Perhaps due to being at the bottom of the pot, some parts were overly soft. While not having enough rice isn’t a huge issue, the biggest problem was simply that there wasn’t enough.
I'm not sure if it was our seating position or something else, but there was a slightly stale, moldy smell where we sat, which matched the restaurant's name: Old Hometown Taste. However, in terms of the dining environment, it really wasn't acceptable.
As for the hot pot itself, it was fairly decent. Both the ingredients and the meat had a certain level of quality. However, the aforementioned two major issues really diminished the overall dining experience. In a competitive place like Taipei, there are definitely better options available.
"It's cold and windy, so of course it's time for hot pot! There's a budget hot pot restaurant nearby, so let's try it out and see how it measures up in terms of value, freshness of ingredients, and taste," by Little Brother.
<Thoughts on the meal after dining🥣>
Conclusion: You can go there for a hearty meal at the end of the month!
I don't know why, but I've been to quite a few small hot pot places since childhood, and the seafood has always been disappointing, with very poor freshness.
However, this particular hot pot place has decent and quite fresh vegetables, aside from the seafood.
The spicy duck blood was super ordinary... it lacked flavor, although the portion was large and chunky. But seeing the braising sauce served with the spicy duck blood... it makes me wonder if the preparation method was a bit too careless.
The sauce station had very few condiments... it didn't even have basic scallions or garlic, just chili sauce and base ingredients, which felt a bit underwhelming.
On a positive note, the utensils are eco-friendly, and there is also a disinfection cabinet, which adds some points.
Plus, there were drinks (from a brand I had never seen before) available to enjoy, and for this price point, it's acceptable.
The entrance is not easy to find, but the restaurant is spacious, comfortable, and clean.
There are many options for soups and meat.
What’s special is that they don’t provide a fixed vegetable platter; instead, there’s a self-service area for vegetables and hot pot ingredients, which offers a wide variety. There are at least six or seven kinds of fish paste, and items that usually need to be ordered separately, like squid paste, can be taken as much as you want.
Basically, there are abundant choices for soup bases, meat, vegetables, hot pot ingredients, and sauces that can be customized to your liking. Even the ice cream comes in two brands with eight flavors each.
Even though the prices are a bit high, it’s still very worthwhile.
Longmen Zhen Sichuan Hot Pot is located on Section 4 of Bade Road, with the nearest MRT station being Nanjing Sanmin. The exterior of the restaurant is very extravagant, and the interior decoration is also full of fun.
Today, I enjoyed a yin-yang pot with various ingredients, totaling NT$2893. I'll just mention the notable ingredients.
Yin-Yang Hot Pot:
The red pot is a classic beef tallow spicy hot pot, while the white pot features grandma's sour radish old duck soup. The spiciness of the beef tallow is quite strong; those who can't tolerate spicy food will have to stick to the white pot. It’s quite therapeutic to watch the beef tallow cubes slowly dissolve into the broth. Overall, the red pot is more numb than spicy, but even so, the heat is still challenging for those who are not accustomed to spicy foods. The duck meat in the white pot is very flavorful and tender, but remember to ask the staff to add broth; otherwise, the red pot will get spicier and the white pot will become saltier the longer you cook it.
Nine-Grid Set Meal:
A very luxurious combination, with nearly every section adorned with little flags indicating the cooking time. Besides the peculiar taste of the luncheon meat, the remaining ingredients are quite fresh and delicious. Today’s selection includes: "Yellow throat (pig heart tube), fresh beef tripe, multilayered tripe, tender beef, duck intestines, squid, quail eggs." It seems that it may slightly change depending on the daily ingredient availability.
Peanut Sprouts:
A very unique texture, it has a crisp bite, and when added to the red pot, it becomes even sweeter. It looks like oversized soybean sprouts, quite interesting.
Seaweed:
Commonly referred to as telephone wire, but here it is not served as such. Once cooked through, it has a very rich seafood flavor. However, cooking it thoroughly is not easy, as its buoyant texture keeps it floating on the water. But if not overcooked, I quite enjoy its chewy texture.
Fresh Brain Flower:
A rare item, the soft, jelly-like texture of the brain combined with the strong flavor of the red pot is a perfect match.
Wolf Tooth Potatoes:
Potatoes are cut into a wave shape and deep-fried, then sprinkled with various seasonings and spices, often referred to as fried potatoes elsewhere. The wolf tooth potatoes here use fewer toppings, yet the flavor remains balanced and delicious.
Tender Beef:
If you know there’s tender beef in the nine-grid set, you wouldn’t order extra – it’s very tasty but also quite plentiful. Just blanch it for a few seconds, and it’s ready to enjoy; the meat is extremely tender.
Braised Beef:
Think of it as ready-to-eat braised beef; the texture of the chunks is different from that of sliced meat, offering a more substantial meaty satisfaction.
Ice Jelly:
There are brown sugar ice jelly and bayberry ice jelly; we chose one of each, with two bayberries included in the bayberry ice jelly. Ice jelly is a common Chinese dessert made from stone flower tree seeds, with a texture similar to aloe vera jelly, and the smooth ice jelly combined with various toppings like taro balls and crushed peanuts can actually fill you up.
Finishing the spicy hot pot with ice jelly as a palate cleanser is quite fitting, but we ordered a bit too much, and almost couldn't finish the ice jelly.
Overall, it’s a very authentic Sichuan hot pot. Since we ordered too much to finish, we ended up packing everything. The containers used for takeout are also quite exquisite.
Although the meal cost around NT$2800, if you take the red pot home and freeze it, that exquisite spicy beef tallow can last a long time. Buying more ingredients to cook hot pot is also very cost-effective.
As long as you don’t mind spiciness (it’s really spicy), I highly recommend it to everyone!
Coinciding with the refreshing autumn and the approaching winter, I previously took a friend to eat at 【Xiang Ma Xiang La】 in Taichung lalaport. This time, I’m bringing a friend from the north to try Taichung's 【Xiang La Wagyu Spicy Hot Pot】, so they can see the impressive all-you-can-eat hot pot options available in central and southern Taiwan, beyond just barbecue. 😎😎
Today is a weekend lunch, and just the decor of our central hot pot restaurant left my friend speechless. Seeing the large crowd waiting was also quite overwhelming for them.
We have 120 minutes for dining, so without further ado, we ordered the $998 all-you-can-eat option, which includes all-you-can-eat wagyu along with other chicken, pork, and various seafood options, all ordered via the tablet on the table. There are also alcoholic beverages available (drink responsibly; don’t drink and drive)!
Additionally, the self-serve bar has fresh vegetables and hot pot ingredients, where you can pick your favorite toppings to add to your pot.
The drink options are also impressive; there are popular ice creams like Häagen-Dazs and some unknown soft serve to try.
The dessert selection is based on personal preference, and my friend said the pudding was delicious!
The dessert area also serves as a bar, where the $998 package allows for refills on alcoholic drinks at the bar.
As for the broth, we chose the spicy hot pot and garlic old hen soup. The original spicy broth is flavorful enough on its own; given my love for spicy food, I could drink it as a soup, but the restaurant also provides a cute-shaped dry pot base, which makes the spicy broth even richer and more aromatic when added.
The garlic old hen soup performs equally well; the broth is sweet, and once seafood is added, it boosts the umami flavor significantly.
The presentation of the seafood and meat is also stunning; every type of beef is slightly elevated, and the Australian champion wagyu was the one we ordered the most. The angel red shrimp were quite large and very satisfying to eat.
Overall, it was a delightful experience, earning praise from my friend. I also feel the quality justifies the price, making it a place worth revisiting.
#Price $998 + 10%
[New Taipei City, Banqiao] Yi Zhi Yi Japanese Hot Pot
Yi Zhi Yi's decor features an elegant design style. The seating is more spacious and comfortable than typical hot pot restaurants. There are various drinks available on both the first and second floors, and they regularly change the flavors of Japanese soft serve ice cream, along with providing snacks and fruits.
You can taste the high quality of the ingredients, and you can see that the meats are freshly cut from whole pieces.
The broth is the most important essence of a hot pot restaurant. A good broth can bring out the freshness of the ingredients (some are definitely worth recommending). This place follows the individual pot format; I recommend ordering the signature dual-flavor pot✨. Even if you dine alone, you can enjoy two types of broth at once!
All set meals come with a fresh vegetable platter and a staple food. The vegetable platter includes up to 15 types of ingredients—nutritionally balanced and fewer hot pot items! You can choose one staple from six options: vermicelli, Prince noodles, rice, or egg (wide vermicelli and Sanuki udon noodles for an additional $15).
🌟 Current promotion: Spend $600 on an individual set meal and receive a complimentary shrimp.
✨ Personal recommendation: Signature dual-flavor pot +$149✨ Choose 2 from the following 7 broth options:
“Japanese-style Kombu” Free: Made primarily from kombu, this basic broth has a natural sweetness.
“Spicy Mala” +$129✨ A drinkable spicy broth cooked with natural ingredients; you won't feel particularly thirsty afterwards. The broth features high-quality duck blood and flavorful white radish, perfect for dipping beef, squid paste, beef balls, etc.
“Cheese Milk” +$80✨ One of my favorites💕. No matter how long you cook it, it won't separate oil and water. Please, use it to cook udon noodles🤩. Comes with one slice of cheese🧀—I recommend putting half in the pot and mixing half into the udon noodles👍🏻. It’s great for cooking white meat, vegetables, taro, pumpkin, and egg dumplings.
“Aromatic Stone” +$60✨ A flavor loved by the older generation. After stir-frying, add the broth. Be sure to start with a bowl of clear soup before adding wide vermicelli, mushrooms, and the vegetable platter to boil.
“Health Vegetarian” +$40, “Tomato Flavor” +$60, “Japanese Sukiyaki” +$80.
American Ribeye Set✨ $490 (a la carte), $619 (set meal)
Each slice is longer than a face! Made from whole cuts, freshly ordered and sliced—will not bleed water even if left out. Recommended to be cooked medium-rare.
Top-grade Matsusaka Pork Set✨ $360 (a la carte), $489 (set meal)
I love Matsusaka pork—moderate marbling provides a slightly crunchy elasticity and fresh sweetness. Recommended to be cooked in milk broth for best taste!
American Boneless Short Rib✨ $650 (a la carte), $779 (set meal)
Short ribs are a classic and unbeatable cut—tender and aromatic, perfect for ordering a portion to share.
Mixed Seafood Platter✨ $360 (a la carte), $489 (set meal)
Contains abalone, clams, shrimp, and fish fillets. Both the abalone and shrimp are very firm! The clams are plump and juicy.
Beef Balls✨ $60
Hidden dish that you must try (only available for online ordering). They are very solid and springy; be sure not to take a big bite, as they contain a lot of broth that can be hot...
Squid Paste✨ $60
Chewier than regular squid paste, with chunks of squid still visible.
Mixed Broth✨ $50
If you don’t order the spicy broth but want to enjoy duck blood and white radish, I recommend ordering this directly! No need to worry about it lacking flavor; even the white radish will absorb the broth’s essence.
板豆腐 (Flat Tofu) $30
蛋餃 (Egg Dumplings) $50
■ No. 42-5, Section 2, Shuangshi Road, Banqiao District, New Taipei City
■ 02 8258 1193
■ Tuesday to Friday 17:00–23:00 (Closed on Mondays)
Saturday/Sunday 11:30–23:00
■ No service charge, only a cleaning fee of $30 per person.
Each person must order at least one set meal.
For a la carte or shared pots, a minimum order of $350 (excluding broth fees) applies.
■ MRT Jiangzicui Station
■ Parking Info: Shuangshi Road pedestrian plaza parking, Music Park underground parking.
Taipei Nangang - Near the exhibition center, there are options for hot pot and copper plate BBQ. The restaurant also has a friendly white cat.
This time, I chose to eat hot pot, and I selected the "Classic Kombu Hot Pot" without extra charge! I initially wanted to order the "Taiwanese Garlic Clam Boneless Chicken Thigh," but was informed that there was no chicken thigh meat available. However, I was strongly recommended to try the tender chicken strips instead, which isn't on the menu, so I ordered the hidden gem "Taiwanese Garlic Clam Tender Chicken Strips"!
📍 Taiwanese Garlic Clam Tender Chicken Strips NT$380
🌕🌕🌕🌕🌘
First of all, the tender chicken strips are indeed very tender! I expected them to turn out dry like chicken breast when cooked, but surprisingly, they tasted very much like sous-vide chicken breast! It was astonishing! The portion of clams was not very large, but they were still quite fresh! Additionally, because I ordered this dish, they directly added garlic into the broth while cooking! The amount of garlic was generous, making the soup very rich in garlic flavor! (I love garlic so much that I ate them all!)
The vegetable platter had a good variety, and there weren't many unpleasant hot pot ingredients (just egg dumplings and fish dumplings). The rest were mushrooms, tofu, and pumpkin, along with plenty of cabbage! Also, rice was a side option; the self-service bar had braised pork that could be added, along with some green onions and cilantro, transforming it into gourmet braised pork rice!
My friend ordered low-fat beef and found the quality of the meat to be excellent!
▶️ Environment
🔹 If you choose the copper plate BBQ, you have to sit at the bar. For hot pot, you sit at tables.
🔹 There is a self-service drink bar (with Oolong tea, winter melon lemon, etc.).
🔹 The restaurant has a shop cat that likes to take up space on the sofa or come over to your table for some attention!
▶️ Helpful reminders
🔹 It’s recommended to call ahead to make a reservation.
🔹 On the day I paid, they only accepted cash.
🔹 There is a 10% service charge!
▶️ Overall rating
🔹 The owner is very friendly and enthusiastically introduces the menu items, and they also chat with us at checkout! Plus, there is a shop cat that cat lovers will find very healing! Overall, it's a pretty good hot pot/copper plate BBQ restaurant. The quality of the hot pot ingredients is quite good! I would like to try the copper plate BBQ next time; I've heard it’s all-you-can-eat BBQ at a certain price.
Although it wasn't particularly impressive, there were absolutely no pitfalls.
Thus, the so-called hexagonal fighter might be like this.
‘Shabu Shabu, Taoyuan Carrefour Jingguo Store’
🍚Order of the Day
👉 All-you-can-eat chicken and pork
Shabu Shabu has been popular for a while, but for various reasons, I hadn’t had a chance to try it until now.
In terms of price, 490 + 10% for all-you-can-eat is considered very affordable in this day and age.
I was initially worried that the quality of the meat at this price might be subpar or inconsistent, but we did not encounter such issues, and the quality of the meat was quite good.
The broth we chose was tonkotsu & sukiyaki. The broth was decent; although it didn’t leave a strong impression, it was definitely reliable.
The self-service bar was rich, with everything you would expect. Although there weren’t any special items like shrimp paste, it was still quite complete.
Naturally, desserts and drinks were not omitted, and soft serve was also available.
I’ve seen many people recommend the curry rice, and my wife really liked it after trying it; it had a lot of spices, and the layers of flavor were quite rich, making it great with rice (the white rice was cooked to perfection!).
I personally preferred the cold udon noodles, which were super chewy; whether mixed with curry or paired with a special udon sauce, it tasted fantastic.
Overall, although it wasn't particularly astonishing, there were no flaws, making it a very stable option.
It’s suitable for gatherings of about four people, meeting the picky preferences of everyone.
🍚Summary
👉 Affordable price, decent hot pot and meat, and a well-rounded self-service bar.
👉 A consistent standard across the board.
