AI Spot Summary
The dishes are fresh and delicious, the spicy hot pot base is rich in flavor and moderately spicy, with the tofu and duck blood being tender; however, some of the soup bases are a bit salty later on, the amount of pork belly slices is small, and the prices are a bit high.
The interior decoration of the restaurant is beautiful, and the atmosphere is comfortable, making it suitable for dining with friends. Although there are fewer customers on weekdays, the overall environment is satisfying.
The service needs improvement, lacking self-service condiment dishes and tea, which requires asking staff for assistance. However, the staff's attitude is friendly.
Reviews
📍Location: Taipei, Taiwan
Located in Ximending, Hao Shi Yuan Man has been recommended multiple times by food bloggers. It's been on my food list for a long time, but I never had the chance to check it out until now, when I finally got to go with friends and try it.
Surprisingly, during a weekday dinner time, there was only one group of customers there. I was hesitating whether to go to another place (I'm the type who decides where to eat based on crowd size 🤣), but the shop's beautiful decor won my friends' support for dining here.
In addition to offering small hot pots, the restaurant also serves beef noodles that look delicious. However, my goal this time was to try the most recommended dish online: the "Spicy Sensual Duck Blood Tofu Hot Pot"!
This time, the two of us ordered:
🍲 Pork Intestine Hot Pot + Spicy Sensual Duck Blood Tofu Broth ($240 + $70 for the broth)
The broth was quite spicy and very tasty, which I personally loved. However, it became a bit salty towards the end, and it would have been great if they offered a way to add clear soup! The ingredients in the broth, besides the vegetables, were mainly natural ingredients like pumpkin, lotus root, shiitake mushrooms, and tomatoes. There were only a couple of processed items like meatballs. The pork intestine was very chewy and large, which matched well with the spicy hot pot. Overall, I felt quite satisfied after eating, but for girls, it would probably amount to about 70-80% full, which might not be enough for guys.
🍲 Pork Belly Hot Pot + Kouni Kawaii Japanese Kombu Broth ($240 + $0 for the broth)
My friend ordered the pork belly hot pot with kombu broth, which was milder. There were only 2-3 slices of pork belly, with other ingredients being fairly similar.
Overall, the ingredients were relatively fresh and tasty, but the prices were a bit high, and there's a chance that guys might not feel full, leading to lower value for money. The restaurant also didn't provide sauce dishes or tea for self-service. Although the staff mentioned they would provide garlic soy sauce and water, it was still a bit inconvenient, indicating room for improvement.
