湖東牛肉館

Dining Time: 2024/12/22

Finally had the chance to eat at the Huzhong Beef Restaurant, which was awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand 2022-23 recommendation!

The restaurant is located along Provincial Highway 1, but since the building is set back a bit, you’ll need to look closely as you approach, or else you might miss it like I did and have to turn back to see it XD. There is no dedicated parking at the restaurant, but there’s plenty of roadside parking nearby, so you don't need to worry too much.

We decided to dine here quite spontaneously, and we were lucky to still get a reservation just five days in advance. The restaurant has timed dining slots: 10:00-11:30, 10:30-12:00, 11:30-13:00, 12:00-13:30, 17:00-18:30, 17:30-19:00, 18:30-20:00, 19:00-20:30. We booked the 10:30 slot and arrived early, which allowed us to be seated and start our meal sooner.

⭐️ For the beef platter, it’s essential to confirm when making the reservation. Each person (regardless of age) must order one platter of beef; if you want to order more, you have to confirm with the restaurant the day before. If you want to add more on the day, it might not always be available. Apart from the beef platter, everything else can be ordered the same day. There’s also complimentary white rice and braised pork available!

So on that day, with four people dining, we ordered:
⭐️ Hot Pot Broth 💰100
An onion soup base with some cabbage inside. It’s really sweet to drink~~

⭐️ 4 Large Platters of Beef 💰550
Each person got their own platter of beef, and everyone enjoyed it immensely. The cuts aren’t all the same, and one of the platters looked somewhat different. When we asked the staff what the cuts were, one person didn’t seem to know, and by the time we thought of asking someone else, we had already devoured the beef XD. Aside from dipping it in the pot, we also liked to eat it directly. Overall, it was fresh, tender, and full of juices!

⭐️ Stewed Cheek Meat 💰300
This dish went straight into the pot when it was served, so I didn’t take a picture of it on the plate. It’s also delicious; even after being cooked in the hot pot for a long time, it still had a tender texture and wouldn’t become dry.

⭐️ Fresh Beef Tongue (Small) 💰250
It arrived cooked but cold, so we had to dip it back into the hot pot for a bit. The texture is tender and highly recommended.

⭐️ Sesame Oil Beef 💰200
Strong sesame oil flavor with ginger slices paired with beef, which is really great to have in winter. The beef served was about medium-rare, not too tough.

⭐️ Bitter Melon Beef 💰200
I’m not brave enough to eat bitter melon, so I didn’t touch it at all (not even a photo XD), but my family highly recommends it!

⭐️ Chinese Celery 💰100
You must have Chinese celery in the hot pot!

In summary, if you love sweet soup bases and fresh beef, you definitely need to give this place a try!