I've been to many hot pots and this was a very different one than I am used to going to. Located in Montreal's China Town, we were taken for a little tour in the dirtiest part of the city (and this city is probably the cleanest city Ive been to). You could instantly recognize that this was a hot spot by the many people flocking in and out of the establishment.
The first thing I liked about this style of hot pot is that its buffet. Unlike most hot pots where they serve you a certain selection of veggies that they hand picked for you, you get to choose exactly what vegetables and how much you want to put in your pot. That being said, I am not really sure how fresh the veggies are being displayed open deli style right near their front entrance. Hordes of children and families were running around using their hands when utensils were not readily available and I did not see one staff member come out to replace stale food.
We were told that we HAD to order the beef/lamb combo (I don't eat lamb) which left my boyfriend having to eat the whole dish. This wouldn't have been a problem if we didn't see the sign on the table that said if we wasted 200 grams of food, we would be charged another 15,99$ So basically, he filled up on food he didn't want just so I could eat the food I did want. I was not very happy about that but he seemed to be okay with it.
Overall, I would have given this 2 stars because it wasn't that fantastic. I gave it a 3 because if you enjoy hot pots like I do, this is something you will want to experience regardless.