Location: Xindian, New Taipei

With the slightly cold and rainy weather, I thought of having a small spicy hotpot. Ah-Er Spicy Hotpot is a chain restaurant that has many locations. The Xindian branch is also pretty standard, without any significant surprises.

🌟 Fatty Intestine and Soft Tofu Pot + Handmade Ramen (Mild Spicy)
I chose mild spicy. The broth doesn't leave a strong impression. Compared to many well-known spicy hotpot broths, both the spiciness and numbness are quite mild and approachable. The walls inside the restaurant introduce that the base broth is from Sichuan, but it tastes very gentle. Those afraid of spiciness won't have a problem at all. There are two pieces of duck blood and four pieces of tofu, which seems less than the last time I visited. 🤣🤣

New Handmade Ramen (Thin)
The texture of the new ramen is very chewy, which I personally really like. I highly recommend it to those who enjoy chewy noodles.

🌟 Fatty Intestine and Stinky Tofu Pot
This was ordered by a friend who came with me, and it is basically similar to my taste, with the only difference being the stinky tofu. Their stinky tofu isn't particularly characteristic nor very smelly, only slightly so.

The whole place is a chain restaurant, so there aren't any major surprises, but it's a decent option to consider when craving an affordable spicy hotpot.

🚩From Chengdu, Sichuan with a deep broth

Yun Ding A Er Spicy Restaurant is located on Zhongzheng Road in Xindian, close to the Beixin intersection, between Qizhang and Xindian District Office Station. Originally, this location was a Yangcheng Italian restaurant, then it changed to Mita Stone Hot Pot, and three years ago it became Yun Ding A Er. The restaurant has two floors, with vintage inn-style decor. There is a substantial amount of wood used in the entire space: wooden tables and chairs, wooden floors, wooden wall panels, and even wooden lattice decorations on the ceiling and large windows. The seating is quite spacious, and the overall space is clean and tidy, with good lighting and adequate air conditioning, creating a very comfortable dining environment.

After being seated, you fill out a paper menu and pay at the counter. Both cash and two forms of electronic payment are accepted. An invoice can be issued, and there is no service charge.

The food arrived quickly after ordering. Today I ordered the following:
Hutong A Er Thick Cut Lamb Hot Pot: It arrived steaming hot, and I crazily blew away the steam to take a photo 🤣. I ordered it with a little spiciness; the broth seems to be made by simmering multiple base ingredients, resulting in a layered spiciness and numbing flavor. Personally, I think it's quite good, but the amount of broth is not much. The portion of ingredients was acceptable, and it tasted okay.
Traditional Braised Pork Rice: The rice is fluffy, and the braised pork has a beautiful color and fragrant sauce. The individual order is $55, but it's $45 when paired with the lamb hot pot.
Pork Bone White Soup Fresh Fish Pot: This also arrived bubbling hot. The broth is a thick white color and has a mild flavor. The fish is cut into soft small pieces, and while the amount provided was okay, it doesn’t have much presence. Besides the vegetables, the other ingredients were not abundant. It comes with handmade pulled noodles, which are relatively wide and thick, and quite good.
Soft Boiled Egg: No additional seasoning, just ordinary.
They offer lemon water and two types of smoothies, which are not too sweet.
The prices of the dishes are slightly on the higher side, and the portions are a bit small, but the quality is good, making it satisfying for those with smaller appetites.