Uyen L.
Yelp
I could not think of a better meal to eat than some hot pot to celebrate Lunar New Year, and Sichuan Folk satisfied my cravings!
Most people don't know that they offer AYCE hot pot, and I don't blame them since the restaurant doesn't really advertise it at all. My boyfriend and I ate here multiple times in the past whenever we're craving Sichuanese food, and it's always delicious. However, their hot pot was even better!
I called the restaurant to see how busy they were on Lunar New Year Eve, and they said they were packed. I asked if they have hot pot tonight and they replied they do, but it's going to be a long wait (~1 hour). I didn't mind since most of the Asian restaurants are packed for the celebration, so we came and waited. I'm not sure if there was a miscommunication on the phone but I came in and asked for AYCE hot pot, and they said they're not serving it tonight. I told them that I called on the phone earlier, and I don't mind waiting, but I already drove here so it's pointless to pick another place. The owner lady said okay and I just sat at the waiting chair. The restaurant was fully packed with customers, there weren't any empty tables left. They had big parties on the round tables, and smaller parties on the left side.
It took about 25 mins to get seated, which is faster than the estimated one hour wait. The menu is online, so you just scan the QR code to order. The hot pot option was at the end, and it was a little confusing. The price was $24.95/person for AYCE, and a one-time fee of $10.95 extra for the soup. We had a party of 3, which equals out to about $28/person total. They had a lot of options on their hot pot menu, like the basic beef/lamp/pork/chicken shabu, then a bunch of seafood and vegetables. I was surprised to see lotus roots offered as well since other restaurants typically don't have it.
It took about 15 mins for the ingredients to come out. We picked both the plain and medium spicy broth, and it was SPICY. The server told me it was a 6/10 for a medium level, and I think my tongue died from the first taste. But, it was SO delicious, despite the burning. They did not skim on the amount of food that we ordered either. They brought 3 trays, separating the vegetables, sliced meats and seafood/noodles. Everything was so tasty with both broths that I'm still drooling. They refilled our broth constantly, and there's no extra charge for that. The meat slices are thin, and cooked instantly the second you put into the pot. OH! The hot pot is this big metal pot so there's plenty of space to cook your ingredients. There's a time limit of 1.5 hours, but we sat down at 8 and they didn't rush us until the restaurant was closing at 10 PM.
Overall, this is my new favorite hot pot restaurant! I've tried all the other AYCE hot pots in town (Manna, Happy Lamb, Squares, Gogiya, Volcano, etc), but nothing satisfied my cravings like Sichuan Folk. The price was perfect for the amount of food you get, and definitely cheaper if you have a bigger party since the broth is a one-time fee. Beware that they bring out your ingredients according to the number of people at your party. They gave me a huge tray of beef tripe even though the other two don't eat, since there's no "adjustment" on the app. Next time I'll ask if I can get a smaller portion for specific ingredients, but aside from that-- it's a 11/10.