火鍋
I'm a sucker for hotpot and Chinese food. As confused and aloof I came off at the invitation for one, deep down I was really happy someone brought up the idea of a Chinese hotpot, especially fitting for a cold rainy day it was. I'm not going to mention which one this was but it was a really pleasant experience there.
It's one of the many places to spend the most Chinese time of your life, not the most authentic but pleasant enough to make you feel like one. The atmosphere was decent, with receptive and helpful staff. Maybe a bit too patient. The songs weren't blasting too loudly, so no shouting needed to talk over the speaker. Rare, more restaurants ought to do the same. Personally I thought they could've blasted more old Chinese songs, because it somehow enhances the eating experience too.
Price-wise, it's actually rather pricey, but really you gotta make of it what you will. The soup is refillable and you have bountiful portions of side dishes. The beef is extra soft as it leaves no chewy feeling, you can swallow it without any difficulty and it only takes a little while before completely cooking. Even then there's no concern of overcooking because it's boiled (unless I'm mistaken).
There's unlimited cilantro, unlimited garlic, unlimited chilli powder and chilli dices, unlimited sauces, all to take to your heart's content, also refillable Chinese tea. This one is somewhat unique because instead of being served in your typical oolong or chrysanthemum or jasmine, it's served in corn somehow.
The meatballs and wonton were kinda basic and disappointing, though it could also just be me hating the artificial taste of minced and blended meat. Personally I wouldn't order it the next time and I'd say go for the real beef instead if you need protein.
They serve this scute little expandable hand towel after eating and some free dessert made of blended ice with mandarin syrup. I thought it could've been less sweet and boldened up on its sourness because I definitely remember it being more sour the first time around.
Unfortunately they ran out of guiling gao this time around so we had to do with soy pudding. It wasn't the conventional tauhuhua I expected it to be, it came out more like your japanese hokkaido milk pudding but made of soy. Super pleasant, or maybe I'm just a fan of soy.
All in all it was decent, make sure to enjoy the hotpot hot.