Today I was visiting the Richmond location of Liuyishou, a global chain originating in China. I have been to their Burnaby location and frequent their downtown Vancouver Robson location, so to see a new generation of this authentic hotpot chain, that prides themselves on using only top-quality beef products was a treat.
Located in Richmond’s trendy Alexandra area, within the Garden City Plaza, the restaurant is modern with a lot more aesthetic queues than that its aforementioned predecessors. Stylish booths with artistic branded separators, call button service, and branded individual and communal cutlery set at each table. I especially loved their use of long, slender chopsticks to really be refine eating process.
You check in at the door to ensure your 3 hours of free parking at the lot up front is paid for. We were seated by the kitchen pass that included a view of their sliced to order meat station to the left and the help yourself sauce park at the back. The latter continues to be a draw for me. Although today we would not need any of their mixes. Although did end up visiting the counter as there are plenty of complimentary sides to partake in. Edamame, marinated soy bean sprouts, roasted peanuts, and pickled vegetable. Use them to accent your dish or to offer a palate refresher.
We were in specifically to try their new dry hotpot offerings, a great option for having hotpot when the weather is warmer, but you still what that flavour.
They have 4 options which are the same in seasoning and ingredients, where they vary is in the main protein. Deep fried sole fish filet, house special marinated beef, pacific white shrimp, and/or pan-fried chicken wings. We would order the latter two, choosing the shrimp because it was the most photogenic, although the most complicated to eat, and the chicken wings because they were the newest option.
Pacific white shrimp dry hot pot with potato, black fungus, Chinese cabbage, seaweed knot, and tofu bean curd. I do like the look of whole unpeeled shrimp in this large steamer. However, when it came time to eat, the extra work did not seem worth the yield; even as tasty as it was, and only because I am a lazy diner.
The chicken wing was the same dish, but minus the shrimp and add in the aforementioned wings chopped, up into 2 segments. I liked that this made more morsels for everyone, but it was difficult to eat as the shattered bone shards had to be gingerly picked out; to avoid choking or biting down on something sharp. In hindsight maybe they should have been left whole. Worth mentioning is that we also added beef pieces to this dish as they are our favourite protein to have with Liuyishou’s dry hot pot. Not only is it easy to eat with no bones or shells, but it is incredibly chewy and tender, pairing well with the rice we ordered on the side.
I loved the medley of textures in all of their dried hotpots. With all the elements to sort through and to be able to pick and choose what you want to eat with what, and in what sequence. The dish is fairly spicy coated in chilli oil and tossed with coarse cut chilli pieces, but bearable when eaten with the sides above for a break. Although it may still be overwhelming in flavour for those unfamiliar. Definitely best enjoyed if you know what you’re getting yourself into. Each serving is good for 2-3 people to share. And at $38 per dish, with the discounted price of 20% off from 11am to 430pm Monday to Friday, this is a good deal and great value for lots of food.
Especially with their $9.95 Fried rice with beef and Chinese sauerkraut. As the above is too flavourful with too much spice, the rice tempers the heat and offers a nice filler. Perfectly fried crispy, with a subtle taste all its own, their rice makes an ideal base.
Ordering a jug of their sour plum juice is also a great way to temper pungent flavors. Tart and tangy, the ideal palate cleanser for both their wet and dry hot pot.
As an add on, we also ordered their new novelty dish, an eye-catching long strip of pork hung on the trapeze. They call this the One-piece dragon beard deep fried pork. The decorative stand comes with literal bells on, so that your server may ring it to announce its arrival to your table. Equipped with scissors, you cut the strip down to bite sized pieces, allowing each to drop into the dish of seasonings at the very bottom. It is great when something so kitschy tastes so good.
And for dessert and a sweet note to end on, I recommend the Sticky rice cake with brown sugar sauce. This is essentially a sweet mochi dumpling, breaded and fried crispy on the exterior and gooey at its centre. Best eaten when it is still warm, so the texture is at its stringiest and the brown sugar is a melted down into a liquid-y sauce. Not too sweet, a nice dessert you eat for its enjoyable texture.
In conclusion Liuyishou continues to be a good time from location to location with an ever-revolving assortment of new dishes and new ways to draw in their customers.
Liuyishou Hotpot Richmond
4731 Garden City Rd #150, Richmond, BC V6Y 1P9, Canada
+1 604-285-6122
liuyishouna.com
