If you’re lucky enough to live
in Toronto, you’re probably experiencing the cold touch from Mother Nature like
the rest of the city. Of course, you could complain and hibernate, or rather embrace
the Canadian mantra and go out there and have fun! Alas, me and winter
activities requiring balance will never align, so I take the opportunity to
indulge in hotpot instead.
Potman Hotpot is a new entrant
and thanks to a BlogTO video has attracted a host of visitors – arrive before
6pm or make a reservation to avoid standing uncomfortably in their non-existent
waiting area. The video showcases the meal to be a feast, which of course is
possible, but you’ll pay for it as Potman is not all-you-can-eat.
Take the time to thoroughly go
through their two-page menu as there’s a lot to choose from, starting with a choice
of nine broths. If you’re indecisive, the split pot allows you to choose two
flavours ($5.99 for small or $9.99 for large); financially, the large one
doesn’t necessarily save much unless you’re sharing amongst more than two
people.
For my first visit, I split
the pot between homemade pork bone soup, which surprisingly incorporates a host
of Chinese herbs resulting in a smooth creamy finish, and sweet tomato ox bone
soup. In the future, I’ll stick with just the tomato broth (by itself $4.99 for
small or $8.99 for large) as it adds a lovely flavour to all the ingredients so
sauces aren’t even necessarily required.
Nonetheless, each person will
be charged $0.49 for condiments, but allows them to mix-and-match from 19
items. Overall, what’s provided is sufficient, but Potman should consider
giving the soy sauce in a pourable container (rather than the actual dipping
dish) as after a few dunks the broth already starts to dilute everything.
While you can opt for a
seafood platter, without a description of what comes with the dish it seemed
safer to order the items we enjoy most. The shrimp ($5.99) was relatively good
value with six large ones to an order… much better than the jumbo scallop
($2.99), which is essentially one scallop cut in half. Moreover, the small
scallop pieces tended to get lost in the broth and became overcooked.
Most diners opted for the meat
platter, but being carnivores, we stuck with single orders of the Angus beef
($6.99), pork ($4.99), and ox tongue ($6.99). My first time trying tongue in
hotpot, I enjoyed the fattier cut that creates a flavourful bite – perhaps an
alternative to the luxurious wagyu that costs $14-$50 a portion.
Where a platter works is for
the vegetarian items ($7.49 for choice of 5 items) and the meat balls ($7.99
for a mix of 15) given Potman allows diners to choose what’s included in the
mix. For the vegetarian items, you don’t get a lot with the leafy greens since
they take up so much space, but for compact ingredients like wintermelon it’s a
sizeable portion (these are also great for hotpot since they can be forgotten
in the broth without ruining the vegetable’s texture).
For the meat balls there’s a
choice of handmade or regular – I went with the regular machine-produced
version and they were still very good. The cheese ball was our hands down
favourite, very unique and I loved how after biting through the springy crust
there’s a creamy molten cheese centre that’s enhanced with a sweet corn
flavour. Their shrimp ball is also different holding shrimp roe in the centre – just be careful biting into it given the juices are
hot and will squirt out.
Another one of my go-to
ingredients is the fish tofu ($2.99), at Potman theirs is smooth while
incorporating a rich fish flavour. The fish noodles ($1.49) isn’t the squeeze
from a bag version, but rather comparable to wonton noodles with a chewier
finish. While still tasty, the fish flavour is mild and somewhat lost if you
add broth. Personally, I enjoyed the udon ($1.49), especially with the piece of ox tail accompanying the tomato soup base, it
cooks relatively quickly without becoming mushy and goes so well with the tomato broth. On the other hand, the Korean rice cake ($1.49) breaks apart too easily
and gets mushy in a matter of minutes.
While ordering a feast can get
expensive - our indulgence costed $50 a person including taxes and gratuities
(although to be fair we over ordered) - not being all-you-can-eat means staff
have more time for service. Our food came out very quick (even add-ons) and our
pots were constantly refilled to avoid it drying out. The service was excellent
compared to other hotpot establishments. Moreover, there isn’t the pressure to
stuff yourself silly, although with all the choices, that can still be
difficult.
How To Find Them
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 633 Silverstar Boulevard
Address: 633 Silverstar Boulevard
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Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
Is That It? I Want More!
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