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.
*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
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