Kaohsiung Xinxing, a local hotpot with a history of more than 60 years Shantou Quancheng Shacha Hotpot, Zhongshan Headquarters
#Taiwan Local Tour
Address: No. 7, Zhongshanheng Road, Xinxing District, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan 800
The Shantou hotpot brand, which is based in Kaohsiung, not only expanded its chain stores but also created many sub-brands to move towards branded catering. Later, news reports showed that it had cut costs due to the impact of the epidemic and had closed other brands one after another.
The main store is located at the roundabout intersection of Zhongshan Road and Zhongzheng Road, and you can often see it when driving past. But this is the first time I've eaten here. Just like other hotpot restaurants, you need to order the soup base first and then the dishes. This time I ordered the 鴻水 (large pot: 500 yuan), the signature Shantou flat fish soup base and the Bashu spicy hot pot. There are also special flavor hotpots with limited ingredients on the menu.
Soup
Shantou flat fish hot pot
Personally, I feel that the taste of shacha and flat fish is light, and it tastes like ordinary white soup with some shacha and flat fish. The overall taste is not outstanding.
Bashu Spicy Hotpot
The general Sichuan-style spicy hot pot usually has a lot of oil, and the spicy and numb feeling will be very obvious and prominent. It is usually served with a dipping sauce made from sesame oil or white vinegar and spices to neutralize the spiciness. The overall taste should be adjusted so that the numbness and spiciness are not too strong. The amount of oil is too low. The overall Chinese medicine flavor is strong, but you can keep adding tofu and duck blood to the pot.
The soup as a whole was not outstanding, but the waiter was diligent in adding soup and base. The friendly attitude of the service staff and the attitude of the ushering staff are perfect opposites. Since the added broth is seasoned, it will become saltier as it cooks, so it is recommended to ask the waiter whether unseasoned broth can be added to adjust the saltiness.
When you order a hand-cut meat platter, you will get free vegetables. This time I ordered wet-aged American beef (premium boneless marbled beef. Small plate 450 yuan/150g, premium Iberian Matsusaka pork 380 yuan/150g). The portion size is similar to that of other brands of single-person hotpot restaurants that sell aged meat. The meat is fresh and the fat is evenly distributed. The difference is that the single portion comes with a full plate of vegetables, while this one only has one vegetable portion.
The hotpot ingredients are pretty normal. The single-order dishes such as large intestine and lasagna are well prepared in advance, with moderate taste and no peculiar smell.
Overall, it is a standard hotpot restaurant, nothing special but not disappointing either. The store has no dining time restrictions, which is very suitable for eating hot pot and drinking.