In the world of Greater Toronto Hot Pot, Hipot has a place on my list of Hot Pot Restaurants. It had a place at the prior location at Commerce Gate and now it continues to an extend for different reasons. I'm not saying it's the place to be but I was here almost alone near 1 am on an Elite night if not for my Friend WWmama.
My friend was joking that she can camp out at the car for the night since there's Yoga in the morning at the neighbouring Yoga Tree which is so conveniently located here. The closest comparison to this NEW location new redecoration Hipot is the known 'Made in China'. That would be my bases for most of this review.
SWEET:
-Hipot has LCD showing Cantonese shows which is a standard tradition when having Hot Pot at home while enjoying Hot Pot.
-Quality of ingredients, especially the Fatty Beef Slices for both rounds came and had great marbling and defrosted enough compared to others.
-Beef/Fish/Squid/Pork Balls are all hand-made while the Wonton had full size Shrimps within with a good bite.
-The seating is more roomy and spacious which gives more room for Patrons and Staff plenty of space to manoeuvre without troubles or accidents.
-Dessert included a reasonable sized Herbal Jelly that had as much flavour as some Chinese Dessert Specialty Shops.
SOUR:
-It's a bit more PRICEY than 'Made in China' since additional Beverages are extra cost while it's competitor has unlimited refill.
-Doesn't have variety of Sauces to choose from since it's only BBQ sauce, Soya Sauce, Garlic, Green Onion and Green Chili.
-Doesn't have the Sofa-like Booth seating that 'Made in China' has but even over there it's hard to come by at times.
-Staff have slightly less enthusiasm and are more mature. Service was still acceptable but less above and beyond than other places.
SUMMARY:
I wouldn't mind going back this Winter. Will definitely test if their 3rd round Beef is just as good quality as the 2nd round. I will report back once I find out!