Hot-Potfuls of Pleasure

For people in Taiwan, hot pot is often more than just a tasty meal – it’s a social event. Typically served at home during holidays, when family and friends gather around the steaming bowl, it symbolizes togetherness through the circularity of the pot, the table, and the ring of diners. If dining out, there are countless locations all over town. Hot pots are ideal for those who love socializing while supping.

Note: This article was published in the 2024 Winter Edition of TAIPEI magazine, a publication by the Taipei City Government.

To give you a taste of the hot-pot experience, let’s dive into two iconic establishments. First up, we have a restaurant serving fiery “mala” hot pot, perfect for lovers of spicy food. We’ll then explore the delicate flavors of “warm beef” hot pot, featuring premium, freshly cut beef.

Chan Chi Hot Pots Lab – Ximen Great World

The Ximending area (around MRT Ximen Station) is brimful of hot-pot possibilities, and Chan Chi Hot Pots Lab stands out. Focusing on the mala (spicy-numbing) variety of broth, Chan Chi began life 30 years ago in New Taipei City’s Xinzhuang District. Another branch appeared on Dunhua South Road of Taipei’s Daan District before the Ximen Great World branch opened in the basement of a former cinema complex.

Featuring red and blue neon signage in Chinese and English, the building’s ostentatious façade contrasts with the nondescript first-floor entrance area, which could pass for an office lobby. Downstairs, however, one finds an altogether different environment. Across a long, dimly lit room, customers lean over square and round tables, tops designed with electric stoves in the center. Dangling from diners’ chopsticks are tidbits that are dropped into their bubbling hot-pot broth. The stoves can be adjusted to achieve the requisite tenderness for each item.

Affixed to several walls, LED monitors shimmer with 3D images of interesting artworks. Booths with larger tables afford privacy for parties of up to 12. To guarantee a table in these facilities, book well ahead of time through its online system.

Chan Chi prides itself on the painstaking process that goes into creating the signature broth. “Our chefs start at 6am, simmering the broth with duck’s blood over many hours,” says the restaurant manager. For the less spice-inclined, a clear option is available, with a lighter, more delicate flavor. The restaurant uses segmented pots, one half containing clear and the other hot and spicy broth.

The signature spicy broth is typically enhanced with duck blood and tofu upon arrival. Among the items available for poaching, innards are prized among local gourmands. Preparation for the intestine and tripe includes washing in boiling water to remove pungency. Another crowd-pleaser is the beef tendon, served in knobbly chunks, which absorbs the broth and acquires melt-in-the-mouth succulence. A squid and shrimp paste, topped with flying fish roe, can be added to the base as well. Mix the contents thoroughly in the cauldron so the tiny eggs don’t separate from the mash and float to the top.

After savoring their meal, many diners prolong the experience by adding duck blood and tofu to the flavorful broth. They then ask the waitstaff to “refill” and package the broth for a satisfying meal at home.

Chan Chi Hot Pot Lab – Ximen Great World
詹記麻辣火鍋–西門大世界
B1, 81, Chengdu Rd., Wanhua Dist.
(02) 2311-1800
facebook.com/ChanChiHotPots
12:00pm-1:00am

Min Sheng Hui

Thanks to its history of sugar production, Taiwan’s southern city Tainan has a reputation for sweet cuisine. It is also renowned for its beef soup, with the best versions featuring wenti niurou (lit. warm beef) – meat that has not been frozen, fresh from the slaughter.

Tainan native Jay Wu opened this beef-based hot-pot house in Taipei in 2023. Set in a busy lane, minutes from MRT Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall Station, Min Sheng Hui is notable for its snazzy design, aromatic signature broth, and succulent slices of Tainan beef.

Because the produce is transported from Tainan daily, there are limited quantities of the premium cut, which comes in tender, marbled slices served on bamboo leaves. Don’t fret if they’re sold out – the cheaper, slightly leaner alternative is a worthy substitute. In addition to chunks of fatty beef, the standard broth includes tomatoes, corn, tofu, and hefty medallions of daikon radish. As the meat arrives each day just in time for dinner, the hot pot is reserved for the evening hours, with stir-fried dishes and set meals available for lunch.

Red dominates the interior, most strongly contrasted by the numerous green columns in the large menu sections posted on one wall. Printed on the yellow paper placemats is a step-by-step breakdown of how to enjoy your meal. Pull-top chopstick dispensers containing orange and green utensils – once standard colors at old-school eateries – reinforce the retro vibe. Two suggestions on the mats include dipping the beef in the broth for three seconds and placing it in your eating bowl, before ladling in soup from the pot. For another Tainan touch, drizzle in a drop of rice wine. Finally, for your dip combine doubanjiang (fermented-bean paste) and jiangyougao (a thick sweetened soy sauce) from the well-stocked condiment counter, and sprinkle with julienned ginger.

Ming Sheng Hui is one of several arms of Wu’s Fujin Tree group. Others include Fujin Tree Taiwanese Cuisine & Champagne, a Michelin-starred restaurant under the parent company’s banner in Songshan District, and cafés and bakeries under different brands. Among the products displayed on shelves near the reception counter are a Jay Select range of Taiwan-made natural wines and pizza-boxed pineapple cakes. Wines from independent vineyards in Portugal, Italy, and New Zealand chill in a refrigerator. Local libations include Taiwan Gold Medal beer and Kinmen Kaoliang 38.

Min Sheng Hui
民生輝溫體牛肉火鍋
28, Ln. 137, Yanji St., Daan Dist.
(02) 2778-5898
facebook.com/MinShengHui
Tue-Sun 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-10pm