Although Taipei has no lack of hot pot restaurants, Wang Yin-chang (
Dream of the Red Chamber was designed to evoke the world of the famous Ching-dynasty novel. Waitresses in traditional Chinese attire usher customers in to an interior composed of imported wooden Chinese furniture and walls decorated with ink paintings that show major characters from the novel. Delicate red lanterns hung from the high ceilings and the double staircase add to the quaint atmosphere of the restaurant, which could serve as a stage set for a Chinese period drama.
PHOTO: VICO LEE, TAIPEI TIMES
It's not that Wang is a big fan of the classical novel. "I've never been able to get through Dream of the Red Chamber. But the idea of setting up a restaurant with a Chinese theme seemed nice. It's far more enjoyable than dining in a plainly decorated restaurant, which most hot pot restaurants are," Wang said.
Dream's spicy hot pots are made with chilis and medicinal herbs imported from Sichuan. Boiling these herbs for 20 hours extracts their nutritional essence and taste and the soup is spicy enough to be proper Sichuan fare without being too hard on the stomach.
Almost all items on the menu go well with spicy hot pot, including the sliced mutton, beef tendon and red rice-flavored intestines, but the squid balls and shrimp balls are Dream's homemade specialties. The secret of their tastes lies in the use of diced water chestnuts, which combines well with the chewy meat. Red yeast hot pot is a dish exclusive to Dream. This dish has proved quite popular among female customers and the health-conscious as its bright-colored ingredients are believed to be good for the circulation in particular and health in general. The fragrant broth is well suited for vegetables, especially pumpkins and mushrooms, of which there are three kinds. Dream's rare coral mushrooms are one of the most popular items.
There's also the seafood hot pot, a good choice for dipping seafood and vegetables, as well. All hot pots come in three sizes, and prices range from NT$300 to NT$500. Excellent desserts and tea are free of charge.
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