Tong Xin Ru Yi Traditional Hotpot

Decided to forgo the usual HDL/BITP and go with a classier Hotpot place recommended by friends. Ambience was brighty-lit, quiet, and very 'polished'. Service was also friendly and attentive. Went with the Pickled Chinese Cabbage with Pork Rib Soup ($38) - huge portion with lots of pickled cabbage and more than 10 pieces of pork ribs. The sour soup is an acquired taste though. Added on the Beef Platter ($28), Chinese Cabbage ($6), and the waitress said the Japanese Black Pork ($18) was 50% off for the day so of course we had to get that too. Saw reviews saying the Spicy Stewed Rabbit ($18) was good so we tried it as well, but it was nothing to write home about; tasted like tougher pieces of chicken. Overall, definitely fresh and quality ingredients but perhaps we should have gone with a different soup base because I found the meal to be pretty normal. Get the Tong Xin Special Drink ($3) though, it was sweet and tart and refreshing and perfect to wash everything down. Sauce bar was $4 per pax and I found it to be slightly lacking compared to HDL/BITP was they do provide some sort of fried kway tiao which was good. Total damage was ~$131 for 3 pax which was reasonable and we were bursting at the end.

Sooo delicious. This is so rich in every ingredient you'll wish for in a maocai, we chose beef - tender slices and pairs well with the generous amount of veggie. Definitely get their homemade tea to match with the spicy maocai. (Good for 2-3 pax, ~$40)

Don’t forget to grab some vegetables for your hotpot as well, and the platter has the corn, cabbage and more.

Another platter with all the soybean items such as stir-fried beancurd rolls, beancurd skin, golden and fresh tofu.

Although it is consider a snack that you can’t eat with the hotpot soup, but I strongly recommend you to get this.

Super juicy and soft and you need to shake it with the salt provided. Do put the salt based on your choice and don’t put whole cup of salt into it.

If you like to have some beef in the hotpot, I totally recommend you this one. You just need to place them in the hotpot for 8 seconds, which give you a medium rare beef. Of course if you prefer a much cooked version, you may place it longer.