Monday, February 17, 2014

Wu Lao Guo Elixir Hot Pot, Taipei

Ice Cream Tofu Going Into Hot Pot

I can't remember where I read about this place, but I think some famous chef said how it was his favorite hot pot place in Taipei, as it was apparently devoid of tourists and was difficult to get a reservation at. Somehow, our local office managed to secure a table for us at one of its outlets tonight, so we went right after we finished a big meeting of ours this afternoon.

I'm not sure what the big deal was. Actually, I'll just go out and say it straight: I didn't like it. Everything was so darned sweet, from the soup base to the condiments to even the tofu and fish cakes inside. It kinda reminded me of the food from last night, especially since they couldn't make it spicy no matter how much extra red oil they added. OK, I suppose that it was a lot more elegant than other spots around town, but puzzlingly, this place was owned by the guys behind Ding Wang, and the taste there is completely different.

Well, there was one interesting thing here, and that was those "ice cream tofu" things sliding into the broth above. It took me a while to figure out what the heck "ice cream tofu" was; it turned out not to have any ice cream in it at all, but rather was named as such in reference to the smooth texture. But it was...again, sweet. I'm not coming back, especially since it made all of my clothes smell like B.O. afterwards. Ugh.

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