鍋老師 台式國民鍋

#Shilin MRT Station Exit 1, cross the street to the opposite side and you will see a hot pot restaurant with a very modern and novel decoration, the design has a strong Taiwanese flavor.

The main dishes are #Taiwanese personal hot pot, and the menu is set up for direct ordering; one order equals one pot. Ordering is quite convenient, and if you want to add extra side dishes, it's all very intuitive.

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🍲 Garlic Clam Hot Pot $265

The hot pot is cooked fresh, and it takes about 5 minutes to be served. I ordered the garlic clam hot pot along with a portion of braised stinky tofu. Overall, the hot pot was alright; the portion of pork was generous, the clams were mediocre, and I don’t remember there being many of them. The garlic flavor in the soup was sufficient, and the vegetable portions were also plentiful.

For the meat, I chose the pork, and for an extra 30 NT dollars, you can double the meat portion, which is just right for a guy. If you like meat, I recommend doubling the portion!

The only major downside was the white rice; it was hard and had a damp, stale taste, clearly indicating it was leftover. Very uncool. It seems like business might not be as lively on weekdays, so they probably cooked a pot of rice and used it for several service periods.

🌶️ Spicy and Aromatic Stinky Tofu $30

#Braised Stinky Tofu comes with two pieces, topped with a cute little chef flag for a nice photo op. It has good flavor—savory and fragrant—but if the portion were a bit larger, it would be even better. However, considering the price, it’s still a commendable amount.

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Overall, it's a pretty good Taiwanese personal hot pot restaurant, positioned more like a casual, affordable dining spot for individual pots (though slightly more expensive than typical cheap eats). If I'm occasionally craving hot pot, I might choose this place. However, given that Taipei is a hot pot paradise, I didn’t feel that this restaurant stood out from others, which is a bit regrettable.