Ya Xiang Hot Pot is a famous old brand stone hot pot in Ximending
Later, a second-generation store was opened on Yanji Street.
The overall decor is more fashionable with a retro vibe, very popular among young people
This time I happened to pass by, and there weren't many people, so I went in to try it
The indoor space is very spacious, each table has a designed exhaust fan to reduce oily smoke smell
It feels a bit like a Korean BBQ restaurant
In addition to regular long tables, there are also round tables for group dining,
The interior design has a literary vibe with a touch of retro style
There is a pot opening fee here.
The menu is basically for selecting meats, best to order enough at once,
because the store can stir-fry them together, giving the meat a special aroma from stir-frying
Other hot pot ingredients are in the refrigerator, using plates for price differentiation
The price is a bit higher than Xiaohongmei Stone Hot Pot,
but it's still reasonable in the East District
The dishes are honestly very abundant, in addition to regular hot pot ingredients,
there are many seafood choices, meatballs come in super many flavors, and offal options are also plentiful
The sauce area is also very abundant, with tons of choices
The store's homemade golden sand tea sauce is a must-try condiment
The sand tea has a slight spicy kick, very unique
On the right is the common dipping sauce for sweet potato balls, sand tea sauce + green onions + white vinegar + a bit of soy sauce
This store's sand tea has good aroma, coarser granules, giving it a nice texture
Adding some peanuts would make it even more fragrant
The sauce on the left is an extra try for sweet potato balls,
sand tea sauce + peanut powder + white sugar + white vinegar + green onions, unexpectedly smoother than the usual sauce
White sugar neutralizes the spiciness of sand tea, adding a rounder mouthfeel to the overall sauce
Peanut powder enhances the aroma, making the flavor richer
Because it's stone hot pot, the store will help stir-fry first
The pot has a little sesame oil, after stir-frying onions and sand tea sauce over high heat, meat is added and stir-fried
If you want the soup base to have more layers and freshness,
it's recommended to add garlic sprouts (NT$70) and squid (NT$80). The taste will be more authentic
But garlic sprouts and squid are charged separately, taken directly from the refrigerator
If there's squid, the store will stir-fry it first for better flavor
The meat is only stir-fried to medium-rare, placed on a side plate first,
then you can slowly add it to the pot in batches to let the aroma infuse into the soup
1. White Rice: NT$15/ Taro Meatball: NT$70
The white rice here is a bit dry, pairs okay with hot pot
The taro meatballs are substantial, you can taste the taro chunks, very fragrant
2. Large Intestine: NT$80
Few stone hot pot restaurants have large intestine, this one actually offers it
The large intestine is cleaned very well, pre-braised, becomes soft and delicious after a quick boil
3. Pig's Blood Cake: NT$30
Pig's blood cake also tastes great with stone hot pot, becomes very soft after boiling
4. Water Spinach: NT$80
Water spinach is just okay, don't boil too long or it will fall apart
5. Taro: NT$60
Their taro comes in super large chunks, so not easy to cook,
to get the outside soft and inside tender, need to put it in the pot from the beginning,
6. Firm Tofu: NT$30
Firm tofu is also great for stone hot pot, hard to overcook
Boiling a bit allows the soup to soak into the tofu
giving it a light meaty aroma
7. Tofu Skin: NT$60
Compared to firm tofu, tofu skin can absorb more soup, becomes very soft,
paired with its unique bean aroma, super delicious
A table for 2 people is enough to fill you to the brim~~
They also provide free ice cream for dessert,
it's Fule ice cream, pretty good~This stone hot pot place has a better environment than traditional stores
The price isn't too expensive either, no wonder it's so popular
Ya Xiang Stone Hot Pot - Yanji Branch
Add: 106臺北市大安區華聲里延吉街85號
Tel: 02 27753399
Time: 17:00-03:00