I tried this Chinese hot pot (they say fondue) place on South Kirkman last Saturday at lunch. It charges a flat rate of $25 every day. It is all you can eat (in two hours). I was expecting this to be a cheap meal in a bowl place, but, challenge accepted. Though my stomach was not ready for battle (the flu shrunk it up), I still managed to down a pound of shrimp (7 plates of three to four 26-28 count shrimp), 5 plates of beef brisket, 2 plates of lamb brisket, 1 plate of tofu, 1 plate of enoki mushrooms and 1 plate of squid. They all come around via a conveyor belt. That makes two forms of entertainment with your meal. The shrimp seemed fresh and I had no intestinal issues after eating here. They were grey. I just learned that this color shrimp is a winter shrimp (thank you Chef and Farmer tv show). They cook fast. Watch that you don't spray hot innards liquid all over when you pop their cap. The beef brisket was way more fresh than I expected. Nice marbling too. Frozen and sliced paper thin. Addictive. The lamb was equally good and similarly prepared. The tofu was tofu. The enoki was fresh and served in a heap. The squid was the one failure. Fishy smelling and tasting. Although, it also did not cause intestinal issues. You choose one of six or so broths. I chose a spicy (to your level) chicken broth. I think they just squirted some sriracha in it. There is a heater on the table (actually four for four people). They come by and refill the broth when it gets low. They also have a sauce bar. I didn't see the need. The menu items are pervasive. I didn't try most. Some like the clams seemed too risky. The place seats about one hundred. Most of the crowd was Asian. The servers were Hispanic. The place is an old fast food restaurant. They have some cute murals. TVs. It still doesn't look high end though. The Halloween candy (and regular) buckets hanging from the ceiling don't help/ For leaks? Or just forgotten about? They have been open for ten months, They are off I-4 right before the hill after Vineland. Look for the McDonald's. $25 is a little steep if you aren't a glutton. I think other hot pot places charge $3 a plate. Make sure you can down eight plates. A can of soda was $1.50. I think they had sake and wine and beer. I would go again. Fresh-ish seafood, all you can eat, fondue cauldron, food zipping all around me. That equals a party. Just have to stretch out that stomach before my next encounter.
*Orlando Weekly called this area Metro West. I believe that area doesn't start until farther down Kirkman.
No comments:
Post a Comment