Ever felt like having hotpot but couldn’t find a group to go with you? Paradise Hotpot is the solution as you can enjoy individual hotpot in an all-you-can-eat buffet format to enjoy your own Hong Kong-style hotpot experience.
Paradise Hotpot adds on to Paradise Group’s large stable of brands. The Hong Kong-style hotpot is available at two locations, Westgate and Compass One. It regularly attracts long queues at meal times, with hungry diners eager to get inside to enjoy the hotpot buffet.
We paid a visit to Paradise Hotpot at Westgate to give the new dining concept a try.
What to Expect at Paradise Hotpot
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We arrived at Paradise Hotpot early and there was no queue. We were lucky to be able to get seats immediately. However, we would recommend making a reservation first so that you can be assured of a seat.
Here is how Paradise Hotpot works.
The Hong Kong-style hotpot dining experience is an all-you-can-eat buffet. There is a buffet counter and an online menu that can be accessed via a QR code given to you to order items like meats.
You have 80 minutes to dine at Paradise Hotpot. The QR code to the online menu expires after 60 minutes.
There are two tiers of buffet sets that you can order at Paradise Hotpot: a Value Set and a Premium Set.
Both the Value Set and Premium Set allow you to order ingredients such as:
- Sliced Brazil Pork Belly, Sliced Pork Collar, Marinated Sliced Chicken Thigh, Black Pepper Pork Meat Ball, Japanese Chicken Gyoza, Fish Ball Stuffed with Fish Roe, Pork and Chives Dumpling, Soft Bone Pork Meat Ball and more.
The Premium Set includes 10 more items:
- Fresh White Sea Prawn, Sliced Snakehead, Sliced US Short Plate Beef, Ebiko Prawn Paste, Sliced Lamb, Prawn Dumpling, South American Kurobuta Pork, Fresh Scallop, Sliced Spanish Pork Collar, Scallop Seafood Paste.
There is also the choice of nine soup bases. Each set is only entitled to one soup base. The nine soup bases are:
- Spicy Szechuan Soup Base
- Tom Yum Soup Base
- Clear Chicken Soup Base
- Authentic Pork Bone Soup Base
- Tomato with Sweet Corn Soup Base
- Cordycep Flower with Mushroom Soup Base (Vegetarian)
- Satay Soup Base
- Century Egg with Coriander Soup Base
- Teochew Style Soup Base
Paradise Hotpot Westgate Review
As we were ushered in to the Paradise Hotpot Westgate, we couldn’t help but notice the decor which had images of Hong Kong decorating the wall. The Hong Kong ambiance was helped by the music of old Cantonese hits playing over the sound system.
The Paradise Hotspot at Westgate has tables with built-in induction cookers. This allows the hotpot to be placed directly on the table, making it look rather neat without the need for an external stove. It gets heated up through the induction cooker and a button built into the table marked “Firepower” allowed us to control the heat level.
We placed the order for our soup bases using the QR code. We chose to go with the Cordycep Flower with Mushroom Soup Base and the Satay Soup Base options. These arrived in cute single-person pots and were soon bubbling away at the table.
We headed over to the buffet line where we could pick out some of the ingredients for the hot pot as well as some pre-cooked food items.
For those who are familiar with Paradise Group’s other hot pot brand, Beauty in the Pot, some of the ingredients will look familiar. There are a wide variety of fish balls and meat balls, including our favourite cheese-filled meat balls, available. Amongst the ingredients were a black-coloured squid ink squid ball that we had never come across before. There are also plenty of vegetables and mushrooms to go into the hotpot. You can also get various starch options like noodles and rice too.
What is different is that there is a second buffet line with various Hong Kong inspired dishes. These included curry fish balls as well as soups and even braised chicken feet. You can get your fill of Taiwan Style Braised Pork or get get a bowl of Hong Kong Style Mock Fin Soup to start off your meal.
Kids will be satisfied as they can pick out what they want from the various fried items like nuggets and fries that are available as well. There is also crispy fried mantou that you can get drizzled with condensed milk too.
Lovers of Paradise Group’s Beauty in the Pot will also instantly recognise the line up of sauces at Paradise Hotpot. You can mix and match the various ingredients to create your own sauce to pair with the hotpot food.
Drinks are included in the buffet and we were delighted to find the icy lime slushie available at one of the drink dispensers.
Meat, Seafood and Dumplings from the Premium Set
Back at the table, we placed our order for meats and dumplings. These arrived quite quickly since the restaurant was still relatively empty when we were there. However, since the ordering time available is 60 minutes, you may wish to keep an eye on the clock so that you can get all your orders in.
The meat arrived in serving dishes along with the other specialities such as the seafood pastes, which were served in bamboo containers with a little spatula to scoop it into the hot pot.
The Cordycep Flower with Mushroom Soup Base was a good neutral base for cooking the ingredients. The Satay Soup Base had a more distinct flavour and also had a sweetness to it.
Overall, we placed three rounds of orders but, together with the ingredients laid out at the buffet line, and the other cooked foods available, we could barely eat anything more as we came up to the 60 minute mark. The food quality is similar to what you would expect at Beauty in the Pot. It is acceptable and if you end up, like we did, dunking it in the sauce, you will find that the taste of sauce covers much of the flavours.
Since dessert is reserved for a separate stomach, we were still available to get a bowl of green bean soup to end off the meal. There is also an ice cream machine available which is sure to be a hit with kids.
Paradise Hotpot Prices
There are various tiers of pricing available at Paradise Hotpot. This starts from $19.90 for the Value Set at tea time (between 2.31 pm to 4.30 pm) and up to $37.90 for the Premium Set at dinner time (from 4.31 pm to 10 pm with last seating at 8.30 pm).
Do also take note that there is a $3 surcharge on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays.
This makes it best to head down at tea time or lunch for the best value.
What is also good to know that there are is a $3 discount for Seniors and Students from Mondays to Fridays (not including Public Holidays) before 4.30 pm.
Children between 5 to 12 years old enjoy 50% off while children between 5 years old dine for free!
Overall Thoughts
On the whole, Paradise Hotpot is great for those who love hotpot and may even enjoy eating it on their own.
The Premium Set is probably best for those who love seafood like prawns and scallops, or meats like beef and lamb.
The next time we visit, we will be sure to head down for a set at tea time.
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