Recommended by a friend, this spicy hot pot is a hidden gem that my friend proudly suggested. I came with high expectations. The exterior design is beautiful and stylish, making it great for photos. The interior is simply decorated, with few customers, but they all seem to be regulars. It’s a restaurant that has been in operation for a long time, clean and bright, overall quite standard.

They offer duck blood and tofu as part of the broth, which I personally feel is not characteristic of authentic Sichuan hot pot, as these ingredients are generally not served in Sichuan. While it doesn’t mean it tastes bad, it’s more tailored to Taiwanese preferences. (I personally like duck blood and tofu too.) The meats, hot pot ingredients, and vegetables are all common choices. The meatballs seem to be handmade and are quite tasty. They also serve ingredients typical of Sichuan, like cow tripe and beef stomach, but they didn’t seem very fresh.

Overall, the meal was decent and not bad, but I felt that some of the ingredients didn’t seem very fresh. For three people, two were full. This could be a personal issue, but during the meal, a few types of seafood and offal didn’t taste fresh, and I stopped eating after a bite. I hope this was just an exception and that others did not encounter the same problem.