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This restaurant is located near Gulou in Beijing, but it actually has many branches. I've always heard that this restaurant has pretty good reviews, and the photos they post look quite appetizing! So when I was nearby, I decided to go in and have a meal. However, the initial impression was not great; first, the staff inside were somewhat indifferent. They seemed like a group of young students working part-time, who just dealt with inquiries and services in a very perfunctory manner!

The overall space of the restaurant is fairly large, but the ventilation is not well done, making it feel stuffy and smoky inside. After eating, you might as well announce it to the world that you just had hot pot! When ordering via the QR code, you can choose your preferred soup base, but the sauces need to be selected separately. Then you can choose the meats and vegetable platters you want...

Personally, I think the quality of the meat is okay. The lamb seems to be pre-sliced, looking red and relatively fresh. If you cook it a little longer, it won’t be too tough. However, the broth was a bit of a turn-off for me, as I saw the staff directly take a cooking bag from the fridge and add it to the pot, then just add some water and served it to our table. As a result, the soup didn’t have any flavor from bone broth or other simmered soup tastes; it tasted very much like raw material powder, and I'm sure everyone who ate there felt a bit uncomfortable afterward. Moreover, the recommended vegetables did not seem to absorb any flavor at all. Overall, there wasn’t much to praise about the meal; the meat quality was just okay, and everything else left much to be desired! The staff often covered their mouths with their hands while coughing or sneezing, which was quite off-putting.

In summary, I personally feel that I won't be returning here in the future! Even during checkout, I sensed the staff's lack of enthusiasm, and they were impatient with our questions since we came from Taiwan and didn’t understand how to use the discount vouchers. They were unwilling to help, which was quite disheartening... I suggest that anyone visiting Beijing should skip this place!

# Eslite 480
# Spring Happiness Sauerkraut Fish All You Can Eat
#$699 + 10% per person

Since I found out that Eslite 480 has an all-you-can-eat Spring Happiness Sauerkraut Fish, I have been keeping an eye on it. Luckily, I had a business meeting nearby, so I arranged to try it out.

While waiting to enter, I saw that there was an event at the counter; they are currently offering strawberry shaved ice to guests at specific times—how nice!

There are quite a few choices for soup bases; however, we ordered the authentic sauerkraut fish. When the pot arrived, we were genuinely surprised; it was a huge pot filled with sincerity. We didn't even have time to think, and we quickly divided our tasks: one person scanned the QR code to order meat and seafood, while being mindful of calories, we skipped the hot pot ingredients. The other went to grab a balanced selection of vegetables and mushrooms, and then we checked out the buffet of cooked food, fruit, snacks, and cold drinks. The variety was limited but sufficient because just looking at that big pot of soup already made us feel half-full! 😅

Sure enough, we waved the white flag and surrendered after just two rounds.

I personally really liked the flavor of the soup base; it was bold with salty, sour, spicy, and numbing notes. Pairing it with rice made it easy to eat more bowls, so rice lovers should be cautious!

The meat and seafood were very fresh, and the restaurant had a bright and space-themed decor. The dining time is 120 minutes, and an additional 10% service charge will be added. Overall, this dining experience was pleasant; even though I forgot to try the hot dishes and snacks on the buffet, I was too full to eat more. There’s a slight regret in missing out on some items, but it also sets the stage for the next visit.

A long-established local restaurant in Taipei, known for its affordable prices, offers a 90-minute all-you-can-eat hotpot and barbecue for only 250 NTD per person, without service charges, regardless of the time!

Ps. You can dine alone, but it costs an additional 50 NTD, and you can only choose either hotpot or barbecue. If you want both as a single person, it will be 350 NTD.

The overall style is very local, and the seating is a bit cramped. If you're looking to have a chill chat and gathering with friends, this place may not be suitable. However, if you want to experience the authentic old-school vibes of Taiwan, it's highly recommended to come and try the food. The staff are all older but very friendly, and they will explain the dining process as soon as you enter. Due to the economical pricing, the restaurant will charge per table during the meal, and they will remind guests when the time is about to be up. On the day I visited alone and chose barbecue, they used gas cylinders here, providing strong heat, so you don't have to worry about cooking too slowly during the 90 minutes. The owner will start with a piece of butter to lubricate the grill, and they will also provide a bowl of broth (you can ask the owner if they forget to give it). After that, just keep the heat on low to medium, and remember to add more broth to prevent sticking.

The leafy vegetables, meat, and hotpot ingredients are all self-service and there are plenty of options. Although the meat is a mix, it’s very reasonable for the price. The drinks are all in individual bottles, and there are also ice cream and traditional popsicles available (which I forgot to take pictures of). Even though it's a small place, it has everything you need!

✨ Unlimited vegetarian food supply
✨ Strong air conditioning in the store, no worries about the heat while enjoying hot pot
✨ Friendly and attentive service

📍 About the Environment
The dining area is spacious, and the self-service area is kept very clean. It’s important to maintain cleanliness to achieve such a good impression. The air conditioning during meals is very strong; it feels a bit cold when you first enter, but after a while of eating hot pot, your body warms up, and the temperature becomes just right without the sweat issues usually associated with hot pot.

However, I have to point out one thing: the music in the store is almost all classic songs from the '80s and '90s. But the software used for playback is... the free version of Spotify, so you can hear Premium's promotional ads during your meal from time to time. 😆

📍 About the Food
It follows the same concept as common all-you-can-eat small hot pot places, where you need to order soup base and meat, while vegetables and hot pot ingredients are self-served unlimitedly.

I didn’t particularly order a soup base this time; the free bonito broth is a bit on the bland side. Fortunately, the variety of condiments provided is quite complete, allowing you to mix your preferred soup broth flavor. Next time I visit, I’ll try ordering a soup base.

The meat selection was average; however, the fish was outstanding. The [sirloin beef] fell apart with just a pinch, and I couldn't taste the beef flavor, plus it wasn’t easy to chew. In contrast, the [lamb shoulder] had a stronger lamb flavor and retained a good chewy texture. But the true MVP today was undoubtedly the individually ordered [fish slices]; after cooking, the fish’s fibers remained intact, and the texture was just perfect.

📍 About the Service
Since the store uses QR CODE self-service ordering, there's basically not much interaction with staff. However, throughout the dining experience, you can feel the enthusiasm of the servers, and the speed of replenishing the self-service ingredients was quick.

When I went to check out, we encountered an unexpected heavy rain, and the staff proactively asked if we needed to borrow an umbrella, allowing us to go home without getting wet.

💠 Dianyuan Flavor Hot Pot

Hi everyone! I’m Wolf Wolf 🪽
Today I’m taking you to enjoy a super high value budget hot pot for just over a hundred dollars, right near the Guanghua Night Market at "Dianyuan Flavor Hot Pot"!
This place is really a lifesaver for students, office workers, and those who are running low on money at the end of the month!!

🥓 Taiwanese Pork Hot Pot ($150)
Affordable but not skimping on quality! The pork slices are generous, accompanied by plenty of cabbage and hot pot ingredients, with a refreshing Taiwanese-style broth~
My favorite way to enjoy it is to add satay sauce and chopped green onions into the broth – the aroma is irresistible, and it’s such a delight~
This time, I devoured three packs of noodles!
That’s right – all the noodles here are eat-all-you-can!

🍜 The self-service area is amazing:
✔ Unlimited white rice
✔ Unlimited slushies, juices, and drinks
✔ Unlimited noodles - including instant noodles, scientific noodles, prince noodles, and vermicelli
✔ Unlimited ice cream
It’s basically a paradise for budget-conscious individuals and a blessing for big eaters!

The environment is clean, the service is friendly, and you can eat to your heart's content starting from just 140 TWD – it’s really worth it!
I recommend this Taiwanese hot pot for everyone who wants to enjoy a hearty meal without breaking the bank~
If you want to eat hot pot generously but don’t want to hurt your wallet, you must save this place!

💠💠💠💠💠💠💠💠💠💠💠💠
🔹🏠: Dianyuan Flavor Hot Pot
🔹📍: No. 256, Sanduo 2nd Road, Lingya District, Kaohsiung City

Foodholic Nakoko @ Taipei

“Gagou Taiwanese Chao Hotpot” is a personal hotpot brand under the Wang Ping Group, and I eat here quite often because I can choose the vegetables I want to eat by myself, which lets me skip the hotpot ingredients and just pick vegetables. I used to go to the Taipei Nanjing East Store near Zhongshan Station more often, but this is the first time dining at the Taipei Ximen Store near Ximen Station.

The space inside the restaurant is relatively large, but I find the tables a bit too close together. For instance, today we shared a table with customers next to us, separated only by one of those panels used for pandemic prevention, making the table feel quite small. We had to fit the pot, the meat platter, the vegetable platter, along with our individual small plates and bowls, which made everything feel very crowded and not convenient for dining.

We ordered a pork and chicken combo for $349 + gold and silver garlic clam chicken soup for $69, and fresh fish from the treasure island for $289 + stone chicken soup for $0.

Additionally, we used a meat coupon recently given away in a Gagou LINE promotion to get an extra platter of snowflake beef for free. So we ended up having beef, pork, chicken, fish, and clams—all of it! What a perfect plan!

As for the soup bases, the stone chicken soup is actually not oily and is quite light, a basic option. The garlic clam chicken soup has a strong garlic flavor; I felt it was pretty good just on its own.

In terms of the meat, overall I’d rate it about 70 points. The chicken initially had a slight gamey taste, but it was fine once dipped in the sauce. The pork and fish were decent, while the beef had a fair amount of marbling, which was quite tasty, but it wasn’t anything top-tier since it is an affordable hotpot and expectations weren’t too high.

I think the variety of vegetables offered by Gagou is quite plentiful. There were cabbage, bok choy, Napa cabbage, Chinese spinach, and more, along with cucumbers, carrots, tofu, and taro. They also have hotpot ingredients available, providing a lot of options!

For drinks, my favorite is the winter melon lemonade, which is sweet and tangy, super refreshing!

As for desserts, there is free ice cream. I always recommend the soy milk ice cream, which is Gagou’s signature item. It’s not too sweet and has a light soy milk flavor. Regardless of what the other flavor is every time, I still find the soy milk one the best! (Today's other flavor was peanut, which is also quite good~~~)

I ate too much,
I really like the ice cream from Mövenpick and the common Häagen-Dazs—
It's an all-you-can-eat hotpot,
where you can keep ordering meat to your heart's content.
Overall,
the buffet area is very sincere,
the sauce area is also great,
the meat is delicious,
the broth is just okay.
This is my first time here, but I won’t be thinking about coming often, haha.
I like the Mövenpick ice cream because it has a texture that you can bite into.
The tea cabinet is also a brand that almost every restaurant uses,
I hardly ate anything from the vegetable area—

The blue prawns were not bad, but they were just tiny...

If you can't eat much, you can keep eating ice cream...
I don't know why this place doesn't have any notable features,
I came here simply because they have discounts for birthday months~

User review: A washbasin

This is Crazy Hot Pot - Zhonghe Yongzheng Store, located near Park No. 4, and it belongs to the Meat More More group's hot pot brand. The restaurant features a vegetable buffet bar, with a variety of hot pot ingredients, vegetables, drinks, and ice cream available for unlimited helpings, perfect for those who enjoy diverse combinations and love eating vegetables.

We arrived for a meal right when they opened on a weekday, and there was no need to queue. We were seated at a four-person table with partitions separating the two sides.

This time we ordered two hot pots:
• Braised Tomato Beef Hot Pot (paired with marbled pork) $489
• National Agricultural Cow Milk Hot Pot (paired with flank beef) $489
A cleaning fee of 10% brought the total to $1076.

The Braised Tomato Beef Hot Pot had a fragrant aroma when the ingredients were stir-fried, and the broth had a strong braised flavor, with a noticeable tomato scent. The ingredients were fresh; however, the beef in the pot was somewhat tough. The National Agricultural Cow Milk Hot Pot involved adding an entire bottle of milk, which was quite interesting, and the base had a rich flavor.

Regarding the meat, the marbled pork performed normally, with a good balance of fat and texture; the flank beef, however, had a lot of sinew and a chewy texture, suitable for those who enjoy a good bite.

The buffet selection was abundant, with special ingredients like bamboo shoots and purple sweet potatoes, which are not commonly seen, performing well. Happily, we encountered a promotion that offered a free platter of marbled pork with our post, giving us an extra portion of meat, and we were very full overall.

Overall, the cost-performance ratio is good, the buffet is rich enough, making it a great choice for gatherings or for those who want to enjoy an all-you-can-eat hot pot.

Today is the first dining experience.
At the beginning, the staff will ask if you have been here before and provide an introduction.
The staff is friendly! They even came by to check if the dish's flavors were to our liking!

🔸 Guo Nong Milk Hot Pot, Beef Chuck Flap $489

• When the pot arrives at the table, it contains enoki mushrooms and cheese slices, and after ordering, they'll promptly pour in the milk. They'll remind you to cook it on medium heat and to remember to stir!
• The milk hot pot tastes fairly standard, and compared to other milk hot pots out there, it's already quite flavorful, but I still think that an enhanced milk hot pot is even better!
• The staff suggested cooking the beef chuck flap to 3-5 minutes, but I might have accidentally overcooked it a bit, making it a bit tough to chew.

• Each set meal comes with a Taiwanese-style stone pot, side dishes, desserts, and a vegetable buffet.

🔹 Vegetable Buffet

• Some main dishes are placed on top of the vegetables, but items like Prince noodles and Guanmiao noodles are next to the sauces, and there are quite a few main dish options, plus white rice and minced pork on the side!
• There are various vegetables; some cabbage leaves seemed a bit wilted from sitting too long, but since we’re going to cook them anyway, I think that’s acceptable.
• The pig's blood cake tastes more like rice pudding.
• The cod fish balls burst with juice and have a slight pepper flavor!
• I was surprisingly pleased to find bamboo shoots; as someone who loves eating them, I definitely had to grab some! Though the thickness varied, there was no strange bitterness!!

🔸 Drinks Machine

• The drinks for the all-you-can-eat deal include soda, juice, and tea, but there was also a half pitcher of water available for use nearby.

🔹 Ice Cream

• The flavor is pudding, but it tastes like cheap ice cream with insufficient creaminess.

🔅 The restrooms and checkout counters offer toothpicks and clothing freshener spray, which is quite thoughtful!

This isn’t the kind of place I'd specifically come to eat, but it’s not a one-time visit either. If you love vegetables, I think it’s a good deal! Originally, it seemed like you couldn’t make reservations and had to queue on-site, but I saw that reservations are now open!

Tong Le Hot Pot (Hsinchu Mega City Store) - Delicious hot pot but not very suitable for group meals

This weekend, I met up with friends for a meal at Tong Le Hot Pot near Hsinchu Mega City. The restaurant specializes in a buffet-style eat-as-you-go combined with individual hot pots. This time, I ordered the sauerkraut fish soup base (+99 NTD) and the fresh fish and clam pot. Overall, the quality of the meal was quite good, but the arrangement of the space was somewhat disappointing for a group dining experience.

🍲 Sauerkraut Fish Soup Base + Fresh Fish and Clam Pot
The sauerkraut fish soup base comes with tilapia slices, and the broth has a nice tang without being too overpowering, making it flavorful with the hot pot ingredients. For an additional charge of 99 NTD for the soup base, I think it’s a worthwhile choice. The fresh fish and clam pot included three types of fish with generous portions, and the ingredients were fresh. However, the pairing of salmon with the sauerkraut soup was somewhat uncoordinated, with a flavor that felt a bit abrupt. A clearer or seafood-style broth would have matched better.

🥬 Self-service Area and Ice Cream
The self-service area offers a rich variety of vegetables, as well as common noodle options, which are similar to the standard setup of other all-you-can-eat hot pot restaurants. What’s unique is that the ice cream is not self-serve but needs to be ordered from the staff. Although there is no extra charge, this design can be somewhat inconvenient during peak hours.

🪑 Dining Environment and Flow
Although Tong Le Hot Pot focuses on individual pots, the seating arrangement was quite inconvenient for a large group. This time, the three of us were seated in a row, making it difficult to chat, and the food pickup flow was cramped. This kind of partition design diminished the interaction and relaxed atmosphere that a group meal should have.

📝 Overall Evaluation
If you’re dining solo or with one other person, the quality and self-service offerings at Tong Le Hot Pot are worth recommending. The portions for the soup and main dishes are generous, the ingredients are fresh, and the prices are reasonable. However, for groups of three or more, the space and seating arrangements are really not friendly, which negatively affects the overall dining atmosphere.