茶冉｜茶湯火鍋專門店

Cha Ruan is a hotpot restaurant that features tea as its main soup base, located on Fuxing South Road Lane 107, next to Section 1 of Daan Road. It's about a five-minute walk from Zhongxiao Fuxing Station.

Today, we enjoyed a Chinese tea soup with Japanese vegetables and fruits. For meat, we chose flank beef and sirloin, and added boneless chicken thighs and scallops, totaling 1432 TWD.

The ordering method involves selecting the soup base first, then deciding on the meat items and starches in the set, and dessert is fixed to be red bean matcha mochi, after which you can see if there's anything else you'd like to order.

When the dishes are served, a plate of Japanese soy sauce is presented first. On the table, sesame oil, chili, chopped green onions, and minced garlic are provided for guests to mix their sauces freely. Additionally, there is a bottle of lemon water available for guests to drink.

The appetizer of sesame tofu is quite appetizing. The main dish of white rice is sprinkled with sesame seeds, and it’s served in a fairly large bowl, with distinct grains of rice that are very delicious.

Chinese tea soup:
It is likely based on Tieguanyin tea, with a very refreshing aroma. It tastes smooth and cleansing, making it suitable for cooking fatty meats like snowflake beef. The chicken thighs cooked in this tea soup are deliciously rich, but it also pairs wonderfully with flank and sirloin beef. After adding the vegetable platter, the sweetness of the vegetables and the aroma of the meat juices released into the soup elevate its flavor to another level.

Japanese vegetables:
This broth is made by simmering bonito, kombu, and various vegetables together. You can really taste the robust flavor and richness of the bonito, which is more pronounced compared to many common restaurants. The sweetness extracted from the kombu and vegetables is subtly balanced, with the seasoning being mildly Japanese but also flavorful, making it an excellent choice for those who dislike overly sweet or salty dishes.

American Angus beef:
The flank beef is very tender; even just cooking it in the soup for a few seconds allows the tea fragrance to subtly adhere to the meat slices, creating a sweet and rich aroma that is a unique and delightful experience. The sirloin has a strong beef flavor and a slight chewiness from the connective tissue, which I personally find very satisfying, and it's tender enough that you don't have to worry about it being hard to chew.

Boneless chicken thighs:
Perfectly fatty yet lean, they become bouncy and tender after a short blanching. The sweet juices that flow from the muscle fibers confirm the freshness of the chicken. It’s an added bonus, no matter which soup base you use for cooking.

Scallops:
When they were served, the staff specifically mentioned that this dish is already prepared, so we don’t need to throw in the shells; we just need to place the scallop meat into the pot. There are four pieces, with two having roe and two without; for those who dislike hassle, being able to enjoy complete scallops without struggling with shells is really thoughtful. The scallop meat is very fresh and the roe has a tofu-like tenderness, with the sweet flavor spreading across the palate with just a bite. Overall, it was satisfying, though slightly gritty in texture.

Red bean matcha mochi:
It was very considerate to serve this in a chilled container. The mochi, made from glutinous rice flour and baked to a crispy flower shape, encases refreshing, lightly sweet matcha ice cream and red bean bits. The tea aroma is strong, while the sweetness is refreshing. The crisp mochi, the grainy red beans, and the smooth ice cream create a harmonious texture, providing a perfect conclusion.

Overall, it’s a quite unique hotpot restaurant. The dining area is reasonably spacious, and the seating arrangements are comfortable.

Although the prices are not very low, the tea soup hotpot lives up to its reputation, with the vegetable soup base being particularly impressive. However, while tasting, I found myself questioning why I followed the server’s suggestion to swap for the vegetable soup base when I clearly came to try the tea soup base... (the tea soup enthusiast's dilemma)

The server was attentive and friendly. Although, I felt a bit like I might have been led into a setup 🥲

Fortunately, I was able to switch to tea soup when I asked for more broth. The combination of the two soup bases was not disappointing!

I highly recommend it to everyone!