The past few months have been filled with so sad food stories in Burnaby as restaurants like Zeus and Pearl House and Cozmos have been forced to close forever.
So I’m happy to write about a new Burnaby restaurant that has injected some life into the battle for the best hot pot in the city – because for, hot pot is an essential part of life.
I do hot pot at home and I do hot pot in restaurants like Dolar Shop and the Happy Little Lamb in Metrotown.
That area is getting crowded with Marble House opening last fall on the second floor of Crystal Mall shopping centre.
Marble House is split into three main foods, with dim sum for lunch, barbecue all day and hot pot mainly for dinner.
“Marble House serves outstanding Chinese cuisine that blends traditional recipes with contemporary tastes in a space that offers a warm, lively local neighborhood vibe,” the company says. “At Marble House, we are committed to creating a memorable guest experience through our gastronomy and warm service. We offer three unique culinary experiences: the ever-popular tradition of dim sum cuisine at lunchtime, all-you-can-eat mini hotpot at dinner time with ingredients of the highest quality, and BBQ all day long at the city’s most attractive price. “Discover the different dishes during any time of the day, while the chefs are inspired by the seasonal ingredients to bring the ultimate indulgence.”
The hot pot is what I come for, as you pick from the different soup bases and then from an all-you-can-eat array of meats, seafood and veggies. The soup heats up, you drop in your proteins and vegetables and cook them. Then you add different sauces for dipping. My girlfriend takes several different sauces and mixes them together into one super sauce. She is a master.
I haven’t tried the barbecue yet or the dim sum menu, which includes different congees and claypot items.
Marble House is a worthy challenger to the Dolar Shop, which opened up in Burnaby’s Metrotown area in the Station Square shopping district.
What’s The Dolar Shop? It’s a global hot pot giant that operates in several U.S. markets, Australia and, of course, all across China. There’s also one in Richmond.
The company boasts that its hot pot is fresher than others and offers the kinds of ingredients that aren’t offered at other restaurants. Such as wagyu beef cubes, shrimp pate, peony shrimp and more.
As for the broths, there is a black truffle broth among the options, as well as tomato and oxtail.
Both of those are something I’ve never seen at a local hot spot.
The hot pot place I’m wondering about in Burnaby is Haidilao, which debuted in Richmond in late 2018 and is now set to move into the new Amazing Brentwood mall. The signage has been up for several months, but I haven’t seen any work started yet.
Haidilao (sometimes spelled out Hai Di Lao) began in 1994 in Sichuan Province, in China. Their first U.S. location opened in 2013 in Los Angeles. They also have locations in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan.
The name "haidilao" means "fortune," and is a term used in the game of mahjong in Sichuan.
One of the chain's signature moves is to go to great lengths to keep customers occupied while they wait for their table (as even with reservations, customers often are asked to wait). They offer things like board games, snacks, and manicures for waiting customers. People who dine alone get a giant teddy bear to accompany them for hot pot. And if it’s your birthday, you’ll be serenaded with birthday songs.
The parent company has apparently closed 300 of its nearly 1,600 locations around the world, but it’s unclear if this will impact stores in Canada.
Even if it doesn’t open, Burnaby is still well-served with hot pot options.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
