Shantou Chuan Cheng Hotpot Zhongshan Main Restaurant — Restaurant in Kaohsiung

I'm not sure about this hotpot restaurant... Wasn't my choice and you definitely want to make a reservation ahead of time as it did get pretty busy as we were leaving around 7:30pm on a Saturday night.

We tried their signature broth and it was ok. It started off pretty light in flavor and ended up being flavorful towards the end. So if you like to drink your hotpot broth I would recommend it. I tend to prefer broth that is heavily flavored so I taste the flavor when I cook the meat.

They feature their signature hotpot BBQ sauce and it was just ok as well in my opinion. It's flavorless and has a peanut flavor added to it unlike the BBQ sauce you may be used to at other hotpot places. After mixing in some of the provided aromatics and soy sauce it tasted better but not really much to rave about.

The ingredients are all a la carte orders and they are somewhat expensive. I forgot how much they said the corn costs but we had I think 4-5 small pieces of corn, about 1 whole corn cob basically, and it was 90 NTD I think they said? They weren't even meaty corns sadly, you know the kind where you really sink your teeth in for the kernels. If there was one item that stood out that I can say I believe was worth the value, it would be the scallops. It was decent sized and seemed to me to be well priced. It was sweet and delicious and did not have any fishy smell or taste.

Oh and I do not recommend you get the beef stir fry in my picture. It was just not good at all, definitely not what I expect from a stir fried dish. The beef was all soft and chewy, like they boiled it then added the sauce and "stir fried" it. The meat was definitely not stir fried based on the looks and the texture. The sauce was their signature BBQ sauce which if you do not add any other flavorings, it will taste bland. Yes, that is exactly what they did not do, add any other flavorings. Just save your money, I'd honestly just get some tofu for the hotpot instead of the beef stir fry dish.

Their service was not the worst nor was it great. We had to get up and chase down a server to get something wrapped up as we had leftovers. We were going to add more ingredients but no one ever came by our table. The servers themselves seemed lifeless but were at least courteous. I hope management can either hire more help if they are understaffed. I did not see any signs that they were seeking help though. Also it's odd for an a la carte hotpot places to have a time limit for dining...and I think it was 1.5 hours too, not even 2 hours.

I don't know why we keep trying a la carte hotpot places. Part of me is always hopeful when we try then but I seem to end up walking away disappointed. The food was just OK, I would rate it higher if the cost was not a blatant money grab (looking at you corn), I don't understand why people like to be ripped off (yes we were too). Service was a little below average, I shouldn't have to hunt down a server for service and the time limit for dining is whack. All the more reason to have ample amounts of servers or figure out a way to be more efficient. 3 stars is just being nice as I do empathize with the service staff and my criticism is more aimed at management. If you are going to charge a premium price, better be ready to back it. Another hotpot place where it is all looks and...

Our tour guide recommended we try sacha hotpot which is a Taiwanese specialty sauce. He made us reservations which is a good thing because this place was packed and people were waiting outside for a table on a Friday night. There are other locations but this is the main/original one. There are 2 floors and almost every table was full at 6 pm.

We picked the double hotpot broths- Mala spicy and herbal on the other side. The mala broth was pretty spicy. Your mouth gets numb and your nose starts running but it is super tasty. The herbal wine broth was a little odd at first but it grows on you, especially after adding garlic, onions and scallions. There are tons of herbs. Mixing the 2 broths was the best. We got 3 different cuts of meat and my favorite was the ribeye. We also got fried tofu skin, mushrooms, corn, and bok choy and they gave us cabbage and tofu too. The veggies were really good. I didn’t care for the sacha sauce but my friends liked it. We also got some udon.

For 3 people the meal came out to about $23 per person, which is super cheap by American standards, but considered expensive/fancy in Taiwan. Definitely recommend this place for local good hotpot. Bonus- they accept cards which almost none of the restaurants we...

A- [it's aight / 還可以]

· famous satay-based hot pot restaurant thats a must go when visiting Kaohsiung for the first time

· its always packed on weekends (avoid peak hours)

· tried their weekday special for 2-person menu which was 980 NTD as of April 2025 (雙人套餐)

· their signature satay sauce tasted strong + fragrant (can choose between spicy/nonspicy)

· hot pot soup was also satay flavored (becomes stronger the longer you cook it)

· seafood here tasted fresh

· my favorite out of all the dishes was their handmade fish + shrimp paste (definitely order)

· the taste became too repetitive after several bites since everything was satay flavored

· theres free herbal tea with good health benefits

tldr: satay lovers will love it here (worth a try but...