Jojo Hot Pot

I'm sure most of you have either visited or heard of Big Way Hot Pot where you grab your own ingredients and are charged by weight.  There are a variety of broths available including some spicy ones.  Well, that concept took off and now we are beginning to see the competitors roll into the party.  I've tried Datang out in Richmond and now it is time to check out Jojo Hot Pot, in particular, the West Van location.  This is actually a rebrand of Grandma Liu Hot Pot.  Jess and I made our way to Ambleside where we found Jojo Hot Pot right on Marine Drive with its upstairs dining room.

Similar to all of the other build-your-own hot pot places, there was a selection of veggies, meats, fish meatballs, seafood, bean curd products and noodles.  Things definitely looked fresh and clean.  However, their labelling could improve as some items were not where they should have been.  I know what everything is, but for those who don't, it can be confusing.  If you look at my pot of raw ingredients, I put all of the veggies underneath and loaded up with lean pork belly, snakehead fish slices, fried bean curd, quail eggs, bean curd ribbons, lobster ball, razor clams, half-lobster, abalone and dried noodles (non-fried).  If you can believe it, this was only $37.00 even though it was quite heavy. 

I went for the Jojo Broth which was pork bone-based.  This was pretty impactful with a meaty umaminess.  It was bordering on salty, but I thought that was necessary to keep the flavour while dealing with the excess moisture from the components (such as the veggies and meat).  As for the ingredients, they cooked it nicely as the spinach was not mushy while the seafood retained their optimal texture.  Of course the broth took on some of the natural sweetness and brininess.

Jess had the Lobster Broth and yes, it tasted exactly how I would've imagined it to be.  Fragrant, briny, sweet and lobstery, this had depth and helped flavour all of the other components.  Oddly enough, she didn't pile on as many things as I did, but still ended up to be roughly the same amount as me.  I think it was the fact she had corn and a bunch of fish ball products, which are some of the heaviest things available.  Whatever the case, she still enjoyed it and the broth was excellent.

We had one more option at the table and it was the Miso Broth.  I thought this was quite impactful with the rich saltiness of the miso being front and centre.  Now it wasn't salty though.  The fermented flavour was dominant and it helped season all of the components.  That was especially true with the wide noodles.  Sure, you could dunk everything into the custom dip you make at the sauce bar, but things would be flavourful on its own.

On the topic of the Sauce Bar, it was simple but had all of the necessary items to create your custom dip.  We also had some of their drinks including the Passion Fruit Tea and Cloud Milk Tea.  I really liked the passion fruit tea because it was light and refreshing.  Perfect compliment to the hot pot.  The cloud milk tea was good too being just sweet enough while being creamy with nice tea flavour.  I liked it by itself, but probably not with my hot pot.  In the end, Jojo hot pot was solid with flavourful broths including lobster.  This is a great alternative to Big Way.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Flavourful broths

- They have lobster broth!

- Fresh ingredients

The Bad:

- This particular location has limited space, especially in the ingredients line

Datang

We've been through many food crazes in and around Metro Vancouver over the decades.  There has been bubble tea (still going on apparently), poke and more recently, "build-you-own-hot pot".  Big Way started the trend and in fact, it was a copy of something that started in Australia. The concept gives the individual the ability to select their own ingredients and then pay for the hot pot by weight.  Broth is included and there are many options (even dry mix without broth is available).  Soft-serve ice cream is also usually included at the end.  So you know that Big Way wouldn't have a monopoly for long since copycats would arrive on the scene.  One of the newest is Datang in Richmond.

Unique to this location, Datang is a stand-alone restaurant with its own parking lot.  Since it was a Greek restaurant many years ago, the renovated dining space is both spacious and modern.  Jackie and I were invited to try the place out where we decided to try 4 different broth combinations.   The selection of ingredients was quite extensive and things looked fresh.  It was easy going back and forth between items as there was a decent amount of space to walk around.

The great part of the broths is that you choose your base (pork, beef, fish, mushroom or tomato), and then the flavour (Mala, Tomato, Tom Yum, Laksa, Korean Kimchi, Thai Curry, Pickled Mustard or Original).  The first one we tried was the Malaysian Laksa Fish Broth.  Combined with the seafood-heavy selection that I chose along with the usual things you see in Laksa, this was impactful and flavourful.  Nice creamy sweetness to the broth with a touch of spice.  With the added seafood, it upped the brininess quotient as well.

Another intensely-impactful broth was the Tom Yum Pork Bone Broth.  If I had to compare with Big Way, I think the one at Datang is less sour and more fragrant.  That in itself made it more appealing.  With the right items (such as shrimp, tofu and mushrooms) in the mix, it really gave Thai soup vibes.  Nice lemongrass aroma going with a balanced amount of tang and brininess.  I particularly enjoyed the noodles that soaked up the broth.

As for the Tomato Broth, it looked a little on the light side in terms of colour.  Again, if I had to compare, it looked a lot like the one at Big Way, but it did taste more impactful at the same time.  I felt it could've been a tad more salty, but in the end, it did taste like tangy tomato with appealing sweetness.  This broth went best with veggies, tofu and beef.  The tomato helped enhance the natural sweetness of the veggies.

The last broth that we tried was the Spicy Mala Pork Bone Broth.  I really enjoyed this one as there was a good amount of heat while not being painful.  The numbing spice was appealing and this was great with meat, in particular, lamb slices.  Even some seafood worked well with this, including snakehead fish slices.  I enjoyed the noodles in this broth, but for those who are sensitive to that, I would recommend against putting any noodles in this.

Now Datang is more than just hot pot as they have a selection of cooked items as well.  I found the Crispy Chinese Burger filled with chicken to be one of the better things I've eaten lately.  Super flaky and crispy with a savoury and tender meat filling.  Their Lamb & Beef Skewers were also pretty solid with a slightly spicy (can be mild or spicy) and earthy seasoning mix.  The meats were tender with a balancing amount of fat.

  

They also have a selection of drinks and we tried 4 of them including the Cheese Foam Osmanthus Milk Tea, Lemon Lychee Green Tea, Floral Trio Milk Green Tea and Panda Milk Tea.  If I had to choose again, I'd go for the first one as it was creamy, cheesy and full of sweet jelly.  The floral trio was good too being milky, aromatic and lightly sweet.  Of course we ended off our meal with a Strawberry Soft-Serve Ice Cream.  This was a bit sweet for me, but a nice finish anyways as my mouth was still feeling the spicy mala broth.  Overall, the broths at Datang were great and more flavourful in comparison to Big Way.  Definitely a good alternative.  Hope they open more locations.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Flavourful broths and lots of combinations
- Ingredients were fresh and refilled quickly
- Loved the hot food, in particular, the Crispy Burger

The Bad:
- A little bit of a bottleneck near the sauce bar
- I think the ice cream should be served instead of self-serve, it got messy and people used it when the ice cream wasn't ready

Taco Nori (Burrard Skytrain Station)

When I first laid eyes on Taco Nori (at the Richmond Night Market), I was immediately drawn to the fully stuffed Japanese tacos.  By employing a tempura fried nori shell and using sushi rice as a base, this was essentially a sushi roll re-imagined.  The great thing about the sushi taco is that it is a portable hand-held meal or snack (depending how many you have) for those on the go. I feel that their new location (just across from their food cart spot) is perfect for those on their way to and from the Skytrain station.

We sampled all of their available options including the California and the Spicy Tuna.  Before they stuff the tacos full of the main ingredient, they sauce the sushi rice with spicy mayo or wasabi mayo adding julienned cucumber and soy sauce mix with green onions and sesame seeds on top.  With a considerable amount of fluffy imitation crab salad with some tobiko, I really enjoy the California taco.  It is like a fried California roll but with much more stuff.  As for the Spicy Tuna, it is filled with meaty pieces of bright-tasting ahi tuna.  It is mildly spicy, allowing the natural sweetness of the fish come through.  I particularly like the soy sauce mix they use as it is full of umami without being too salty.

My favourite of the whole bunch is the Mango Paradise featuring Atlantic salmon, avocado, mango and imitation crab.  This has everything where the mango really brings things to life with a tangy sweetness.  You might laugh, but the addition of imitation crab make this complete since it adds the classic fluffy texture and unmistakable sweet brininess.  Next to it is the popular Spicy Salmon nori taco.  There are buttery pieces of Atlantic salmon dressed in sweet and salty soy with some kick.

There is a little of everything for everyone including vegetarians as the Avocucumber features the same rice base with extra cucumber and sliced avocado.  Personally, this wouldn't be my choice, but it does well with lots of creamy avocado.  Right beside it is something more up my alley in the Ahi Tuna. I really like this as the soy sauce mixture goes particularly well with the tuna.  The umami from the soy brings out the brightness and the sweetness in the tuna.

Back to another vegetarian offering in the Wakame with avocado hiding beneath it.  In all honesty, I would actually order this.  I personally love wakame salad with its sweet tanginess.  The crunch provides a nice mouth-feel that offsets the soft avocado. Another one I would consider is the Chopped Scallop with mayo and masago.  These little bay scallops are sweet and buttery while laced with enough mayo to bind them together.  The masago adds some pops of brininess.

Last but not least, the classic Salmon is another taco I wouldn't hesitate to order.  Besides, it is the standard where most people will find it approachable.  Nice buttery nuggets of salmon with the same delicious sweet, tangy and salty sauce mix.  I really enjoy the concept and think it is another way to enjoy a sushi roll/poke bowl hybrid in a handheld format.  Nice textures and flavours make it appealing and delicious.  Now, until the end of May 2025, if you show them the Instagram reel from my account, you will receive 10% off your order!

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Portable deliciousness

- Nice texture on the tempura-fried nori shell

- They don't skimp on the filling

The Bad:

- Shell can be a bit greasy, so make sure you have napkins

Melo Melo Coconut Dessert

Strangely, I forgot to post about Melo Melo when I visited LA awhile back.  This is despite my almost fanatical love for it.  Maybe there was just so many things to write about that I just get to it?  No idea, but whatever, I'll post about it now.  For those who are unfamiliar, Melo Melo specializes in coconut desserts with a variety of complimentary ingredients and flavours.  They are served in glass jars that they encourage you to return (10 jars = 1 free dessert).  I got to try a variety of flavours and really wished they had a location in Vancouver (there is something similar in Richmond though).

So I actually visited 2 different locations and tried a variety of flavours.  The first visit, we had a selection that included Mango Puree, Triple Coconut and Triple Latte.   Each glass jar started off with the coconut jelly with coconut cream.  This part was light, fluffy and semi-sweet.  It was so aromatic and it was pure coconut heaven.  For me, I always have to get something with mango, hence, we had the Mango Purée.  Definitely natural tasting and balanced sweetness.  There was some real mango chunks within as well.  Went real well with the coconut cream. 

One of the more interesting flavors was the Triple Latte.  It consisted of coffee jelly on the bottom with coffee jelly and coconut jelly.  This had all of the elements of coffee but with the aromatics of coconut.  This was great for me as I'm not a huge straight-up coffee drinker.  For those who absolutely love coconut, the Triple Coconut is the one to get.  It has some refreshing coconut jelly at the bottom to go with the coconut pudding and cream on top.

2 fruity creations were the Peach Gum and the Strawberry Purée.  With peach gum on the bottom with some snow lotus seeds, the flavor profile was one of mild sweetness and some floral notes.  This was much more subtle-tasting dessert.  As for the Strawberry Purée, it was fresh strawberries blended into a fairly smooth (with a few chunks) natural-tasting puree.  It was sweet but had the balancing tang of strawberries.  Of course this went with with the coconut jelly.

So my favorite of the ones we tried was the Sunset Mango with sticky rice, mango purée and mango chunks.  This was exactly like the mango purée except with the addition of sticky rice.  That was key as it added texture and most importantly, gave out Thai mango sticky rice vibes.  That happens to be one of my favorite desserts and this had all of the same elements.  Overall, the desserts at Melo Melo are light, refreshing and mildly sweet.  Totally delicious and I kid you not, you can eat more than one very easily.  That I did and would do it again gladly!

The Good:
- Light dessert
- Mildly sweet
- Natural-tasting

The Bad:
- Is not cheap

Four Season Buffet

Way back in early January, we made our way to Burlington and paid a visit to Four Season Buffet.  Yes, we drove all the way there to eat.  I'm sure some people would like to point out that Wonderful Buffet in Bellingham is much closer and cheaper.  However, I would like to say that I've been to Wonderful many times and it is merely "okay".  I think the price is what lures people in.  So I was interested in how the slightly more expensive Four Season would compare.

Of course we would attack the Sushi Station first and there was a modest amount of sushi rolls, nigiri and marinated seafood.  This was a slightly bigger selection than Wonderful, but considerably smaller than what you'd find at Harvest Buffet in Tacoma.  Overall, this was acceptable with a balanced amount of rice for the rolls and nigiri.  The ingredient quality was good and things were constructed decently.  I liked how the specialty rolls were not all California roll based.

After grabbing our sushi plates, the next course of action is to do what we usually do - go get some Seafood!  We ended up with some snow crab legs, crayfish, mussels, clams, fried butterflied shrimp, salt & pepper shrimp, calamari and baked seafood in crab shell.  I would say the highlight was the snow crab as it was still springy in texture and briny.  The fried shrimp had a good snap texture while the clams were buttery.  Didn't like the baked crab shell as it was heavy and overcooked.  Off to the side, we also found a selection of soups including egg drop, hot & sour and wonton.  These were typical with the hot & sour being the best of the bunch.  The wontons were not very good.

Our third plate consisted of a random assortment of items that included BBQ Ribs, Walnut Prawns, Baked Mushroom Caps, Sausage, Orange Chicken, Stir-Fried Veggies and Fried Rice.  I wasn't a fan of the ribs as the meat wasn't that tender.  Nice char on them though.  Walnut shrimp was good with a sweet mayo sauce.  Orange chicken was tender but the batter was a bit bready.  Veggies were cooked properly where they weren't soggy.

After all that, we made our way to the Mongolian Grill section of the buffet.  I went ahead and chose my items and then went over and presented it to the grill chef.  I also selected the sauces I wanted (Garlic and Teriyaki in this case) and waited for it to be prepared.  The noodles were nicely caramelized and al dente.  Shrimp had a sweet snap while the veggies were more or less a bit soft.  As for the beef, it was sliced too thick and hence, was on the chewier side.

Onto the Dessert Station, we found various pre-packaged cakes, Jello, mango pudding and fruit.  Nothing particularly amazing here, but it did the job.  I loaded up on the fruit because it was a refreshing way to end the gluttony.  There was also soft-serve ice cream available.  Overall, Four Season Buffet is a great value in my books.  The food is acceptable enough and the selection is pretty good for the price.  About that price (as of January 2025), well, it is quite complex:

Mon - Thurs Lunch $11.99

Friday Lunch $15.99

Saturday Lunch $16.99

Monday - Thursday Dinner $18.99

Friday Dinner $20.99

Saturday Dinner $21.99

Sunday All-Day $22.99 

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Decent
- Good variety

The Bad:
- Well, it is a buffet, if you don't have reasonable expectations, then some things will be subpar

Malatown

So I'm sure you are now well-versed with the build-your-own-hot-pot joints that are popping up all over North America.  The trend started in Australia and now you can find these places in most major cities.  Back home in Vancouver, we have Big Way Hot Pot as well as some copy cats (mind you Big Way is a copy cat too), but since we were in the Bay Area, the place to be is Malatown.  As its name suggests, they do have spicy Mala broth (Szechuan) as well as many other choices.

We made 2 trips to 2 different Malatown locations including Union City and Milpitas.  The picture of the front and the self-serve areas are from the Milpitas location.  For me, I think the older Union City location is more cramped (even though they seem the same size) and this time around, didn't have the broth options that the Milpitas store had.  The parking situation seem to be roughly the same with Milpitas having possibly a few more spots available.

Before I discuss the broth options, there is a trick to keep the cost down since they weigh the items that you choose.  Try to stay away from wet things like many of the meatballs, things with shells, tofu and udon.  Thinly sliced meats, leafy greens and dried noodles are the lightest options.  Being the most popular choice, the Beef Bone Broth Base is mild, meaty and great for those who do not want spicy or anything too strong.  Perfect for adding your favourite meats and noodles.  There is a good salt level to the broth too.

Their second most popular soup base is the Szechaun Spicy Soup Base, which by the way, is in their namesake aka Mala spice.  As such, this broth is full of impact with Szechuan peppercorns.  The numbing and spiciness from the broth is extra hot if you ask for the spiciest level.  This goes real well with sliced meats, tofu skins, tripe and mushrooms.  If you do add noodles to this mix, beware, it soaks up the soup and it gets pretty spicy.  Be prepared to blow your nose often.

Their 3rd most popular broth is the Chicken Broth Base.  It is just as mild as the beef, yet has more sweetness and is super clean.  Definitely can taste the chicken in there and goes really well with any noodles you choose.  If you enjoy having seafood in your hot pot, this is probably the broth to go for as it doesn't overwhelm anything and the sweetness from the seafood is able to stand out.  Veggies go well with this too as it impact the natural flavours.

One of my personal favorites is the Tomato Flavored Broth, which happens to be their vegan option.  Interestingly, the one at Union City is much more impactful, tangy and full-flavored than the one we had at Milpitas.  However, it might have to do with the fact we visited Union City at dinner and Milpitas for lunch.  It might've been reduced by the time we at at Union City.  This broth goes well with anything really and provides plenty of tangy sweetness where you would not need any sauces.

One of exclusive broths that we can only find in Milpitas is the Sukiyaki Nabe.  This has all of the great things about Sukiyaki including sweetness and saltiness.  Hence, adding sliced beef or pork with noodles and some veggies is the way to emulate a true Sukiyaki experience.  In the picture, you can see that this was the case here with only some fish tofu and quail eggs to compliment.  Yep, this would be my son's hot pot as he enjoys Sukiyaki!

Another exclusive broth to Milpitas is the Chicken & Fish Maw Broth.  Not sure how much fish maw they used, but you do get some silkiness and aromatics from the broth.  In addition, you get all of the good things in the chicken broth as well.  So good for seafood and any noodle you choose.  In the end, both locations of Malatown do the job and is satisfying.  Pricing is fair and if you are smart with your choices, it can be downright cheap.  Just beware it gets busy, so go early or get on the waitlist.

The Good:

- Tasty broths (especially so in Union City)

- Can be inexpensive (if you are smart)

- Fresh ingredients

The Bad:

- Can be expensive if you are not careful with your choices

- Super busy