哈肉燒肉
A new all-you-can-eat barbecue restaurant located in the Hualien Gold Plaza business district of New Xinzhuang is open for business without breaks during operating hours. It’s perfect for us who can only eat during chaotic times. On a weekday afternoon at 3 PM, we were the only table of customers.
The entrance is next to the dental clinic stairs, but there’s no elevator. The indoor environment is bright and spacious with light-colored decor, making it look very clean.
Prices are categorized at $590, $790, and $1280. Today, we opted for $790 per person. The $590 meal also has a QR code menu for ordering, while the $790 option provides a paper menu. The self-service bar has a beverage machine and ice cream. Besides the usual sodas and tea, they offer chocolate smoothies and honey hazelnut smoothies.
The grill is relatively small, and the tabletop space is a bit cramped, but the staff are quick with serving dishes and clearing empty plates. One downside is that our seating was in a spot where the sun blazed down in the afternoon, and there are no curtains or shades, so the sun shone directly on us. The metal surfaces reflected sunlight into our eyes, making it uncomfortable.
The selection of dishes is fairly standard. I don't eat beef, but after trying everything, I especially liked the lamb (✪ω✪). The thickness of the meat was just right, complemented by cumin seasoning. The pork belly was excellent besides having a lot of fat. The pork tongue had a strong alcohol flavor, which I personally didn't like. The seafood tasted quite normal. The oysters were served in small aluminum containers and topped with cheese, while the clams were overflowing. We didn’t know how to grill the scallops, and they turned out burnt, but we weren’t sure if they were cooked through XD.
The staff also treated us to Iberico pork collar and Matsusaka pork. The Matsusaka pork had a nice crunchy texture. However, I’ve never really enjoyed pork collar when barbecuing; I find it tends to be tough to chew.
At an all-you-can-eat, you must have grilled marshmallows and grilled mochi! I couldn't eat more meat, but I could still manage some dessert (٩۹(๑•̀ω•́ ๑)۶).
Overall, the restaurant performed reasonably well.