Alyanna T.
Yelp
A very strong 4 stars; this dinner really hit the spot on a below-freezing night. My partner and I got the three flavor broth (house special chili broth in mild, tomato broth, and pork bone broth), house special beef omasum, beef and lamb combo, cilantro meatballs, veggie platter, mushroom platter, hand made noodle, and rice -
TASTE: 5/5 - didn't come in w super high expectations, but the broths were so good! We were set on getting the house special chili broth in medium spicy, but the waiter strongly recommended that going past the mild level becomes less enjoyable to eat, even for spicy enthusiasts like us. Glad we took his advice, and that we had two other broths to take breaks from the chili. The tomato broth was so tasty, similar to flavors from a pickled fish dish w a sweet & sour tomato sauce that we've had before, and the pork bone broth was so rich, almost as strong as a tonkotsu ramen! The cilantro meatballs were nicely seasoned, and there's a sauce bar w lots of ingredients and toppings to choose from if you want to elevate the food even more
TEXTURE: 4/5 - the beef omasum (tripe) was a nice texture to alternate between the dense lamb and fatty beef combo. My faves from the veggie platter were the crisp cabbage and baby bok choy, and faves from the mushroom platter were the thin enoki and beefy shiitake
PRICE: 3/5 - definitely pricy and a huge departure from the likes of $22 AYCE at other hot pot places. Our total came to $139
SERVING SIZE: 4/5 - that said, we were absolutely stuffed from this meal. The broths and meat took its toll by the end!
SERVICE: 4/5 - walked in at 5pm on a Friday and only a few tables were taken. Our waiter was friendly and helpful in explaining the menu on the tablet. Our spread of food was served within 10min, and he refilled our broths w water a couple of times
ATMOSPHERE: 5/5 - wow, what a transformed space! Every detail was intentional and set the scene, including the architecture, bright decor, hanging lanterns, instrumental music, and plating/presentations of the food. Something I've never seen before: they provide disposable, wooden chopstick tips for you to insert into reusable, metal grips. One comment is that our 4-person table was a bit big; I stood up multiple times to reach the hot pot in the middle
PARKING: 5/5 - just found out about Vane St Lot, a free 2-hour parking lot out back around the corner, since street spots on Hancock St or Billings Rd can be hit or miss