Recently Chinatown has turned into little Sichuan with many new hotpot joints popping up. If you are after a premium hotpot experience, then the Dolar Shop might be your destination. Notwithstanding a play on the name, this place is nothing cheap, and I mean that in a good way.
As our waitress showed us our table we walked past the open kitchen where all the ingredients are being prepared.
For first timers trying spicy hotpot I recommend getting the "mild" Hot & Spicy broth, as shown in the picture above.
We got some roti to snack on while waiting for our broths to heat up. This one we got was mildly sweet with bananas, eggs and raisins.
A selection of Australian meat is on offer with this platter, including M6 Wagyu, lamb, and M4 Wagyu from left to right. The meat was fresh and better than average quality, although the lamb had a slight gamy flavour.
This hand made prawn meatball was the crowd-pleaser. Made with fresh Australian King prawns, it was firm and springy.
The cuttlefish was good too although not as satisfying as the prawn one, which we ordered an encore.
As our waitress showed us our table we walked past the open kitchen where all the ingredients are being prepared.
The menu offers a good selection of premium wagyu cuts as well as various soup broths from nourishing mushroom, creamy bone broth to the classic Sichuan hot and spicy broth. What we really like is that each person gets their own mini pot, and if you can't decide you can also get the half-half pot with two different soup base.
Mushroom Broth $9.90 |
Combination Hot & Spicy + Spare Rib Broth $13.90 |
Pancake Banana Egg $6.99 |
Selected Wagyu Beef & Lamb Platter $29.90 |
M6+ Wagyu Boneless Short Ribs $32.90 |
The Dolar Shop Shrimp Pate $16.90
|
Cuttlefish & Fish Roe Pate $16.90 |
Worried about how to split this? No problem, the friendly staff will offer to split a meatball or two in every pot.
Needing some carbs? The hand made noodles are a good way to enjoy either with the broth or your DIY sauce.
There is also an appetiser and fruit bar, either to get your tummy started or to cool down the heat.
On the weekends this place can get packed and expect up to an hour wait. On the plus side, there are comfortable couches available outside and free drinks and snacks on the side.
If you haven't tried hotpot then it should be something on your list of things to do! It's fun and good for a gathering with friends. No matter how bad a cook you are at home, you can always be proud to cook up something delicious in the hotpot.
Food: 7/10
Service: 8/10
Atmosphere: 9/10
Highlight:
Fresh Tofu Skin $6.90 |
Quail Eggs $5.90 |
Veggie Basket $17.90 |
Mixed Mushroom Basket $18.90 |
Hand Crafted Noodles $5.90
|
DIY Sauce Bar $3pp |
The soul to a good hotpot experience are the broth and sauce. There was a wide array of sauces and condiments to experiment with and find whatever floats your pot.
Fruit Bar/Appetizers (included in the sauce fee) |
On the weekends this place can get packed and expect up to an hour wait. On the plus side, there are comfortable couches available outside and free drinks and snacks on the side.
If you haven't tried hotpot then it should be something on your list of things to do! It's fun and good for a gathering with friends. No matter how bad a cook you are at home, you can always be proud to cook up something delicious in the hotpot.
Food: 7/10
Service: 8/10
Atmosphere: 9/10
Highlight:
- Comfortable and relaxing environment for hotpot
- Relatively premium ingredients
- Shrimp pate
- If you are after the true Sichuan hotpot experience, then this place might not be for you (stay tuned, more hotpot reviews coming!)
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