Asha Reviews Chili Hot Pot

Chili Hot Pot Chinese Restaurant is, as the name suggests, an all-you-can-eat hot pot restaurant at 7219 104 street NW. It is close to white ave, although 104 street is not the nicest to walk down. It is by far the closest hot pot to campus, and it is definitely worth checking out. There are a variety of options for adventurous or picky eaters, so no one will be disappointed. 

The environment is fairly low-key, with a certain hole-in-the wall feeling. Although the surrounding area can be a bit sketchy at night, the restaurant itself is pleasant. The decor was nothing special, but there is a nice separation between each table. It could get a bit chilly in the restaurant when people opened the door. It is purely an all-you-can eat hot pot place, although there are a few items with an upcharge. Most of the items do not have an extra cost, with the best being part of this majority.

Beef slices

Bok Choy

When you sit down, you choose one or two soup bases from a long list of options, and then order a selection of meat, vegetables, noodles, carbs, and seafood off the menu. The soup base is cooked in bowls set into the table, and you cook your meats and vegetables in the soup to your liking. There is a sauce bar, where you can make a sauce from many ingredients to your liking. As a warning, there are always way more vegetables with each order than I expect, but they are usually lenient about charging extra for uneaten veggies. They will charge you extra if you leave a lot of uneaten meat, so make sure to bring someone who is willing to eat all the leftovers. They also have a fun cat robot that brings some of the food to your table. We got complementary sesame seed balls with red bean paste, and dessert (mango and coconut pudding)!

I had the lamb and herbs spice soup as a soup base and my favourite ingredients were the lamb slices, the bok choy, and the deep fried buns (as a dessert!). The soup base costs $2/person or $3/person, if you are getting two soup bases and the hot pot costs $32/person. My total came to $40, with tip. The food was a 9/10 and the experience was a 10/10. Absolutely worth the experience!

Complimentary mango pudding

Written by GAPSS Media Committee Member Asha N.D.