Chine Hot Pot & Noodles — Restaurant in Calgary

It was my first time dining here and had high expectations because of the amazing reviews and recommendations that this restaurant has garnered from different online review platforms. 🫕 🍲 The moment I walked into the dining area, my senses were welcomed and enticed by the whiff of savoury and appetizing aroma. 🫕 🍲 The ambiance was very welcoming with just the right amount of lighting and enough space between diners to conform with the city’s social distancing regulation. 🫕 🍲 They have a wide array of selections (but not overwhelmingly intimidating) of meat, seafood, noodles, vegetables and a few selections of soup base. I settled for the in-house mild broth and the level of spiciness was just right for me. In retrospect, I should have chosen a more neutral broth like the pork and chicken so I could have enjoyed all the meat and seafood and noodles without them being overpowered by the intense and rich seasoning of the soup I have chosen. 🫕 🍲 A few selections of pre-plated sauces and herbs for everyone to help themselves to were on a buffet table in the middle of the restaurant but pre-COVID days, I’m sure they have more selections like any other hot pot places. 🫕 🍲 While the quality of broth and food items were first rate and I would agree that this is probably the best hot pot place in YYC. However, for the amount of money we paid for dinner, I left the restaurant still a little hungry even though we ordered another round of food. I’ve heard that they used to have an all-you-can-eat option and that would have been worth it. 🫕 🍲 I would definitely come back here again if I’m craving hot pot purely because of the high quality of their food...

we called the north location to make reservations the same day and they said they were fully booked until much later so we tried the south location instead, who was able to accommodate us.

we got a booth which can seat 6, even tho we were only 5 i think it’s quite small after you receive all your food. each person gets their own pot and heat controls.

we split our bill into 3 right from the start. there was a mix up where they put two separate orders of meat on one plate so of course our friend assumed it was theirs ate it and we assumed we were missing our order. when we asked, one guy got another guy, that guy got a girl, that girl came back like 3 times saying we were wrong. eventually she said they would give us 2 more portions of the meat. that was nice, but they should have just done that from the start instead of frustrating and confusing us. all our other meat was separated in the orders so we weren’t sure why they would assume we’d know another wasn’t separated. took a long time for them to get to the conclusion…

they have a little stand where you can go to get sauces and seasonings and there are suggestions depending which broth you chose. i got the sukiyaki but i’d be interested to try pumpkin as that seems more unique

the bathroom is incredibly dark? made me feel like i’m in a horror film. maybe they just need to replace some bulbs

overall it was a decent experience with good but expensive food, other than the mix up...

Best Hot Pot in Calgary! (at least of the 3 - I've tried) This is an individual broth/soup place, not communal. Very spicy broths available, which were very good. A la cart and combo available for the meats/veggies/noodles, and a large selection. Typical beer/wine but also bubble tea and smoothies. Good selection of dipping sauces. Large clean bright dining room split into two, looks like tables can accommodate large groups (when allowed due to covid, we were 6). Items came out quickly (though "appetizers" didn't come first, we didn't really need them).

Servers were friendly and knowledgeable, they were even able to accommodate us bringing in a birthday cake (which we were too full to eat and just took home!) And offered a birthday treat. A fun place to bring people who have never had hot pot before, and I think high enough quality to bring people who have and know what to expect.

Only downsides: items are priced for each one, NOT all you can eat (so can be expensive if you're a small group wanting variety); the only craft/local beer was Traditional Ale; no one offered to top up our broths (though I didn't ask, Tbh); and they were playing Country Music the whole time (which is maybe a plus for some people, but not me, and seemed an odd choice, except it is Calgary...). All in all:...