Today we were at Liuyishou’s Richmond location to try a few of their new menu items. To date, they are still my favourite hot pot chain for their affordable prices, while still having a dash of luxury. Extra in their premium meat presentation and seafood options, and creative in their extensive cooked food and novelty drink selections.
We came in with the plan to try as many weird as wacky menu items as possible. Focusing on that which has not be been seen elsewhere.
We started off with their three flavour soup base option. A pot split three ways and filled with your choice of bases. And would order the two newest ones.
The Golden chicken soup was a chicken broth that came as yellow as the name promised. This was a richer soup, but still lean with a side of cooked chicken.
The Japanese sukiyaki soup base was a lot lighter, ideal for those who want it more mild and for the ingredients cooked in it to stand out more.
And for our third we went with the classic. I always get their Liu’s house special soup base, the one that comes with tallow butter shaped like their restaurant’s mascot. Once the in-table heating coil is turned on and running it begins to melt down, adding some fatty goodness into the hot water and would-be broth. However, despite asking for it to be mild, the serving came much spicier, to the point I avoided cooking with it as it made eating uncomfortable and un-enjoyable. Thank goodness for the fire extinguisher plum juice.
Their plum juice is recommend to help cool down any spicy residue and to clean the palate. In that it was effective, all packaged in a novelty fire extinguisher drink dispenser. With a pump handle, your drink is dispensed in a delayed but steady stream.
I appreciate the fact that Liuyishou has quite an expensive cooked food menu. Ideal for those who are hungry and cannot bear to wait the time needed to get all your raw ingredients together and to cook them yourself at the table.
Their deep fried egg came served in a giant golden egg that opens at the centre. Admittedly, the presentation was over the top and ostentatious, but I was here for it. I don’t know how many eggs went into this fluffy jigsaw omelette, but to get this size in this texture, is no easy task. Therefore the presentation was worthy of the dish. Be sure to eat this as soon as you get it to ensure you get the best version of it, where the edges are still crispy and the centre spongy.
Mom’s pork trotters was new on the menu. A cooked soup with tender pieces of pork skin and sinew on bone. Its taste is thanks to the flavourful broth. Although, in hindsight, this might not have been the best dish to order, considering we had three more broths to contend with, before us.
As for raw ingredients we went with the safe and recommend choice of their popular angus beef strips, that were quick to cook with a few dunks into the soup base of your choice.
The wildcard order was the Szechuan style beef tongue. Sliced width wise to maintain the look and shape of a tongue, but in thin slices that too were quick to cook. Compared to the lean and chewy angus above, these slices with lush and fatty in the mouth. A more decant option in terms of mouth-feel.
Just reading though the menu, I thought the Beef aorta with dried balloon flower and beef tripe was a little out there. But once cooked and dipped into your choice of dips, spreads, and sauces I found each bundle to be a terrific assembly with three very different texture. The tripe was chewy, the aorta crunchy, and the greenery crisp. The latter most also added an herbaceous pepperiness to the bits.
The Spicy chicken gizzard skewers were skewered to make the cooking of them easy and to ensure you can find it within the pot after. Small morsels, you just pulling a stick out of boiling soup when ready. Slightly spicy, this was most enjoyable to eat thanks to the chewy cartilage.
The Fish roe lucky bag were a fun novelty dumpling. Although packed tight, it did take longer to cook, and not doing so will have you biting into a cold centre (true story). I was not a fan of this, not only did its flavour fall flat, but boiling the fish roe filling had it losing its iconic popping texture. The result was a bland sack.
My guest and I, both really liked their House green bean noodle. Thick and hard shards of dried noodle that were quickly hydrated for wide, thick, and chewy sheets of jelly-firm like noodles. My only critique was how little you get; fuelled by my regret of not ordering two servings of this, to not have to share.
Speaking of great textures, I also really like Seaweed knots, sliced and knotted thick for a great texture on the teeth as you bite down.
The Bamboo shoots with shrimp paste was another fun combo of firm and soft, coupled with woodsy and fishy.
My guest was happy with her serving of crown daisy leaves as her favourite hot pot vegetable. I left it all to her, as I dislike the texture of soggy and wilted greens.
However, in reality, when it comes to this and any hot pot, your flavour is based on how well you mix sauces and what you like. And Liuyishou has a great help yourself counter of options that also includes complimentary snacks and dessert.
My mix is always peanut butter heavy with a splash of sesame oil, plenty of mashed garlic bits, and the bold saltiness of a brown sauce in oyster and hoisin combined.
In closing, it is always a great time at Liuyishou, especially with more unusual ingredients to try and the regular updates to their already unique menu offerings.
Liuyishou Hotpot Richmond
4731 Garden City Rd #150, Richmond, BC V6Y 1P9, Canada
+1 604-285-6122
liuyishouna.com
