pigoutyvr This is the second year of Feast: Asian Dining Festival, which you can dine in 34 participating restaurants in Richmond with a discounted price or special set menus featuring their signature dishes. This festival features a variety of cuisines, including Chinese, Indian, Korean, Persian, and Japanese, so there must be a suitable restaurant for everyone. The festival is happening from now until November 18, 2019. I collaborated with Feast and Subaru to drive around Richmond and visit some participating restaurants. My first stop is Hotpot Palace, a high-end hotpot restaurant offering a $38 set menu during the Feast Festival.
I had an amazing experience with the 2020 Subaru Outback. It is a medium-sized, 5-seater car with spacious and comfortable leather seats. The first thing that catches my attention is the built-in GPS, so it can lead me to the destination safely and efficiently.
While others are in love with The Dolar Shop and Haidilao, they often don’t know or forget about another high-end hotpot restaurant in Richmond, near Gyukaku – Hotpot Palace. This is my first time visiting this place, but I’ve heard excellent reviews from my friends before. They currently have a $38 special menu during the Feast Festival. I recommend booking a table from OpenTable prior to heading there because this special menu is only available for bar seat customers only.
The $38 set menu includes 2 pieces of nigiri sushi, a choice of broth with a single serving pot, a choice of meat, seafood platter, vegetable platter, a choice of rice or instant noodles, fresh fruits, and dessert of the day. It may not sound a lot, but I didn’t realize how much food there is until they arrive.
I chose Macau Style Pork Bone Soup for the broth and AAA Angus Beef for the meat. The broth is light and flavourful. It comes with a huge pork bone in my soup, and I can’t taste any MSG or feel thirsty after! I am also surprised by the quality of the AAA Angus Beef.
When the Seafood Platter and the Nigiri arrives, I was amazed by its gorgeous presentation. The platter has fresh fish slices, clams, mussels, shrimps, and scallop. The seafood is fresh and not fishy; the shellfish is not sandy. Even without any sauces, they taste flavourful and delicious because they absorb the pork bone soup.
The next item is the Vegetable Platter, which is beyond my expectation. I thought it would be a basket of lettuce, but it turns out with a variety of vegetables and mushrooms! I also love the tofu packet, which has a cooked quail egg inside.
I was 100% full after finishing two-third of the set, but I can never skip the desserts. It comes with a small bowl of fresh fruits and a dessert of the day. I got a Soy Milk Panna Cotta with Red Bean. The texture is on point – silky and light. The pudding has a strong soy milk flavor, and it is best for people who have lactose intolerance.
Overall Impression
I am amazed and satisfied with the dining experience at Hotpot Palace. Though without the set menu, it can get quite pricey. But both the food quality and service are top-notch, and I truly think they are on par with The Dolar Shop. The restaurant is spacious, and it is not as packed as other hotpot places. I am glad that the Feast Festival introduces me to this hotpot place, and I would probably bring Mr. next time for a bigger feast!
Taste : 5/5 • Service: 5/5 • Ambiance: 5/5 • Quality-Price: 5/5
[…] FEAST! adventure, then you should go check out my last blog post about an amazing $38 set menu at Hotpot Palace. On to my second stop with the Feast: Asian Dining Festival, Mr. and I decided to try out an […]
[…] FEAST! adventure, then you should go check out my last blog posts about an amazing $38 set menu at Hotpot Palace and $48 set menu at Mr. Bro Bistro & Izakaya. You have now until Monday, November 18 to have a […]