I was really excited when I discovered Longfu shabu shabu because they have such authentic broth choices. But I was really worried about asking Ares to go with me because I was worried that he couldn't stomach how strong authentic Chinese-style hotpot is. However, he loved the food at Longfu so much he couldn't stop talking about it for two days!
Best Hotpot in Taipei—Longfu Shabu Shabu: Great Value
Longfu Hotpot in Taipei is not your typical shabu shabu and hotpot joint. Unlike most chain hotpot restaurants in Taiwan, Longfu does not offer an all-you-can-eat veggie buffet. But you will not notice the lack of unlimited vegetables, their prices are reasonable and their portions are very filling, providing excellent value for your money. Honestly, we would not have been able to eat more than we ordered. We were barely able to make space for the unlimited ice cream for dessert.
What sets Longfu Hotpot apart from other hotpot restaurants is the quality of their meat, seafood, and broth. The expert use of spices enhances the flavors of their dishes.
The restaurant's interior design is classy and well-designed, the music played in the background also matches the mood, providing a cozy and comfortable atmosphere for customers. In addition, Longfu Shabu Shabu provides excellent service. Even though customers can help themselves to extra soup, which is set next to the condiments counter, the waiter remained attentive to the water level in the pot and frequently ask if more soup is needed, enhancing the overall dining experience.
Another highlight of the restaurant is the cute dragon on the wall near the entrance, which is a great photo opportunity for visitors.
In addition, Longfu Shabu Shabu provides excellent service. Even though customers can help themselves to the soup, the staff members are attentive to the water level in the pot and frequently ask if more soup is needed, enhancing the overall dining experience.
Best Hotpot in Taipei—Longfu Shabu Shabu: Broth
Longfu Shabu Shabu in Taipei is a must-visit restaurant for anyone looking to try authentic and unique hotpot dishes.
One of their main specialties is their wide range of hotpot soups, all inspired by well-known local delicacies from different regions of China. Each soup base only costs NTD$99 and comes with a bowl of rice as well as unlimited ice cream.
Ares chose the Nanjin Duck Blood Soup, which comes from the famous dish "aged-duck bean noodle soup" from the city of Nanjin. The broth is made from cooking an old duck for long hours, resulting in a strong and flavorful broth. The longer the broth is cooked, the more flavorful it becomes. It is served with sides of duck's blood cake, tofu puffs, and kudzu noodles, which complement the broth's flavor profile perfectly. The tofu puffs are extremely flavorful after soaking up all the broth. The duck's blood cake was nice and tender, even Ares, who is usually too afraid to have duck's blood, ate it all.
I chose the Chongqing Hot and Sour Soup, which comes from the popular dish "hot and sour rice noodles" from Chongqing. Unlike other stronger tasting soup bases I have tried from other stores, this broth is not overpowering and allows the ingredients to shine, even Ares who usually complains about this issue agreed with me. You can choose to have your soup mild, mid-level spice, or extra-hot, catering to various spice tolerances. The smoothness of the kudzu noodles and the crunchiness of the pickled cowpeas and spicy julienned bamboo create the perfect texture.
Best Hotpot in Taipei—Longfu Shabu Shabu: Rice and Noodles
Longfu Shabu Shabu is not just one of the best places to get affordable hotpot in Neihu, Taipei, they also offer amazing a la carte dishes!
The Sichuan Chili Oil Noodles with Salted Pork was highly praised by Ares, he even said that he would come just for the noodles. As soon as the noodles were served, I could smell the aromatic salted pork. The noodles themselves were not particular spicy to me, but the aftertaste comes with a soothing numbing sensation. The combination of the spicy noodles and salty pork brings a satisfying umami flavor. Even though Ares doesn't usually like the numbing spice of Sichuan peppercorns, the perfect combination of spices in this dish completely won him over. I was the one who originally ordered this dish, but he gobbled down most of it. He even excitedly told the people at the next table that they have to order it. The girls at the that table likes sesame noodles and dan dan noodles, so they added some fermented tofu sauce from the condiments bar to their Sichuan Chili Oil Noodles with Marinated Beef. They said that the combination of salty, sweet, and spicy was delicious. One of the girls has a low spice tolerance and initially claimed that she couldn't handle it, but she couldn't help going back for more. It is just too addictive.
Ares also ordered the Sichuan-style "Sorrowful Rice" with Tender Beef. The name comes from a classic Chinese novel and HongKong movie. In the novel, the protagonist lost his love and hid himself while practicing KungFu named Sorrowful Palm, which became one of the most powerful martial arts. In the movie, the master chef made a bowl of rice with simple meat on top after he lost his love. The sorrow does not just interpret their loss of someone important, but also the moving sensation of their great creation.
The beef was marinated with spices and was very tender. We originally thought that the rice would be dry, but there was a lot of flavorful sauce underneath. The rice did not become too soft from soaking in the sauce, but smoothly slid right down throat. Although I didn't see any vegetables in the dish, there was something that resembled the sweetness of vegetables, making it especially refreshing.
Also, the wooden bowls and spoons used for the dishes looked so classy. Ares kept talking about how cute they were and wanted to get a set. Being someone who haphazardly does dishes if even, he has no idea know how difficult it is to maintain wooden utensils.
Best Hotpot in Taipei—Longfu Shabu Shabu: Meat
Longfu Shabu Shabu offers a variety of meat options, including 10 different choices available in 6oz and 8oz portions to cater to your party size and appetite. Their selection includes beef, pork, lamb, and the classic Egg with Marinated Beef, where raw egg mixed with the beef helps keep the slices tender no matter how long you cook it. There's also 2 types of Japanese Wagyu to choose from. Longfu Shabu Shabu is one of Taipei's best affordable hot pot restaurants. Vegetarians can enjoy tofu skin rolls as an alternative.
One of their recommended meat options is the US Prime Beef Brisket, which, despite being a leaner cut with less marbling, remains tender and juicy when cooked in the flavorful broth, boosting your appetite. I cooked it for 5-10 seconds so that the beef is perfectly medium-rare, the flavorful juices bursted in my mouth, leaving a lasting impression.
Their Taiwan Pork Belly is another delicious choice. Each slice has a unique fat distribution, and their shapes are not identical, unlike the uniform 'glued meat' found in some chain hotpot restaurants. When cooked in the Nanjing Duck Blood Soup and paired with spicy julienned bamboo from the Chongqing Hot and Sour Soup, it provides a refreshing sensation and a bouncy texture that is absolutely addictive.
Best Hotpot in Taipei—Longfu Shabu Shabu: Seafood
I highly recommend the seafood at Longfu Shabu Shabu, which is not something I'd often say. We ordered a plate of 15 fresh, juicy, and plump white shrimp for only NTD$238. They were beautifully presented with a plum blossom inserted on the side of the dish, which even impressed Ares, who usually dislikes frivolous displays. After we finished the shrimp, he didn't want the plate to be taken away.
Unlike some other hot pot places where the seafood is clearly frozen, these shrimp were not dried out or shrunken, and had a bright gray color that looked very fresh.
The shrimp was tender and bursting with a sweet and savory juice. Although I'm not a big fan of seafood, I couldn't resist having 2-3 pieces without even using dipping sauce. I wanted to have more, but I felt bad that Ares was doing all the shrimp peeling while I enjoyed the fruits of his labors, so I held back.
The Nanjing Duck Blood Soup became even more flavorful and delicious after we cooked the shrimp in it. The rich flavor of the duck meat paired well with the sweet taste of the shrimp, allowing the kudzu noodles and mushrooms to absorb all the wonderful flavors. Despite my seafood sensitivity, I had zero allergic reaction after eating the shrimp and having the broth the shellfish and shrimp heads were cooked in.
Best Hotpot in Taipei—Longfu Shabu Shabu: Hotpot Ingredients
The quality of the hotpot ingredients offered by Longfu Shabu Shabu is excellent. We ordered both the mushroom meatball and beef meatball.
The mushroom meatball had a satisfyingly firm texture and was not made with any cheap fillers. Every bite was filled with chunks of savory shiitake mushroom and pork flavor.
The beef meatball, one of the restaurant's signature dishes, was also exceptional. As soon as I took a bite, the juices exploded into my mouth and filled it with the rich aroma of beef, which was incredibly satisfying.
Longfu Shabu Shabu offers a wide variety of other hotpot ingredients, including their other signature dishes such as the lobster ball, spicy codfish soup dumpling, and sweet pumpkin ball. I'm excited to try these dishes on my next visit. I was initially misled by the name of the spicy codfish soup dumpling, as I thought it would be similar to xiaolongbao (soup dumplings). However, I later discovered via photos on the menu, that it was more like Fuzhou fish balls, with a thin outer layer and a filling of codfish and soup. The spicy flavor gave it a lovely pink color, and I deeply regret not trying it during my visit.
Best Hotpot in Taipei—Longfu Shabu Shabu: Drinks & Dessert
As a must-visit hot pot restaurant in Taipei, Longfu Shabu Shabu not only serves affordable hot pot but also offers delicious drinks. We decided to try their two most popular drinks: Winter Melon Lemon Smoothie and Sour Plum Juice.
The Winter Melon Lemon Smoothie has a refreshing icy texture and a sour-sweet taste, making it a perfect palate cleanser between different dishes. The sourness of the lemon and the mild sweetness of winter melon tea complement each other well. Ares was instantly addicted after just one sip, constantly asking me to refill his cup.
Another popular drink is the Sour Plum Juice. Many sour plum juices are overly sweet and sickening, but Longfu Shabu Shabu's version is slightly sweet with a tangy kick, making it a very refreshing thirst-quencher. Even after the ice melts and the drink becomes diluted, it still maintains the sour plum's aroma. It's the best sour plum juice I've had in Taipei so far!
For dessert, they also offer unlimited ice cream from Bravo. Despite being full, we couldn't resist a sweet treat. Ares' favorite was the Oreo ice cream, of course, while he also enjoyed the rich and smooth Walnut ice cream. The Lychee ice cream is a cute pink color, and the Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream is a mix of white and pink, making both unique choices in terms of flavor and appearance.
Best Shabu Shabu Hotpot in Taipei—Store Info
Store name: Longfu Shabu Shabu 'Small Pot'
Address: No. 67, Chenggong Road Section 5, Neihu District, Taipei City (7-minute walk from MRT HuZhou station exit 2)
Phone: (02)2630-5206
Facebook fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/smallpot202104/
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