Fast Hotpot — Restaurant in Irvine

My friend and I ate here on a Saturday afternoon. The weather was fair and there are options for indoor and outdoor dining. There are plenty of ingredients to choose from: bok choy, fish balls, imitation crab sticks, fish cakes, tofu, ramen and/or egg noodles. The ingredients look fresh and well-maintained. Once you are finished choosing your ingredients on a large bowl, the cashier will have it weighed and you'll choose your preferred broth on the menu. I opted for chicken broth and chose it to be not spicy. The total price varies per weight, but it's worth it especially if you're craving authentic hot-pot like soup. Once you finish paying, they'll lend you a buzzer and it will beep once your order is ready.

We only waited for less than 10 minutes, and I was impressed with the presentation and service. I added some green onions on top, right before eating it outside. The broth has an umami flavor, while the egg noodles and vegetables I chose were not overcooked. I also love the chewiness of the fish balls and tofu. I'll be back again if I'm craving some Fast Hot Pot...

It appeared there were only 2 people working while we dined. This location still has the prior Ramen tenant name on the building but it is hot pot. Walk in and grab a bowl and tongs to select your items. The doors were not super clean and left open- probably because there were parties ahead of us. They were out of several vegetables and meat so we had to ask them to restock. There is a small sauce bar next to the for-sale drinks display. You get to the counter and select your broth and pay by weight. I did not notice that the scale was tared to the weight of the plastic bowl. We ordered 3 bowls and each bowl is given a number. However they were done around the same time- took maybe 10 minutes. Everything tasted okay. On our way out we noticed that the door said 2 am for closing time but definitely looked like they were about to close when we left around 9 pm. They should consider updating their operating hours on...

Kind of sloppy serve yourself awkward hole in the wall that has no ramen ? But college kids on a budget loading up on slop. I went to the counter to get one of their cheap laminated menus to look at, put it down and left, then the owner / manager / cashier proceeded to chase me out of the restaurant accusing me of stealing the menu. Truly memorable for the once in a lifetime rudeness and oddity. This place with people eating dishes that look like nothing you’d recognize deserve only the college kids looking for a bowl to slurp on the cheap. If you aren’t them, I’d advise a pass. There’s a wonderful ramen place 10 minutes away. Hori...