Chongquing Liuyishou Hotpot (Chinese)

Chongquing Liuyishou Hotpot is located at 254 Spadina Ave., s. of Dundas St. W. in Toronto's core. It's right on the Spadina and Dundas streetcar lines so is transit-accessible. Since Morals Village (which I hadn't visited yet) recently closed, it's only AYCE hotpot in the Dundas W. Chinatown that I know of. Chongquing is a chain with about a dozen locations worldwide. Cost is $26.95 weekday, all day, plus broth. I paid $5.95 for a small split pot of Liu's Special Spicy and Pork Bone Broth, but sharing pots are from $13-$15... not cheap! Liuyishou has a nice modern bright interior but had rather unpleasant rap/hip-hop "music" playing, some of which was all violence and swearing, which didn't go along with the environment at all. (The patrons and staff didn't seem to notice the words... the consensus seems to be they just play it because that's what all the cool kids listen to these days. Gawd. I don't factor it into the rating though.) Pop is $2 canned and non-AYCD. Chopsticks are reusables thankfully, and the sauce station has a very generous selection of plates, bowls, tongs and cups available to keep sauces and flavors separate and clean.

I only chose one-pepper heat for the spicy soup base, and was glad I did as it was still scorching. The seasoning was exquisite and well-balanced beneath the heat, which I became used to. Sliced beef was very good with both broths. Sliced pork was almost as good also, except of course for being pork. Deep-fried pork slices were excellent... I even threw them in the hot pot as well to add flavour. Wintermelon was delicious in the "flavor sauce" dipping sauce; I also made the Chongquing traditional cilantro-based dip at the flavor station from the posted recipe and it was very good. Udon was fantastic when run through the spicy broth and with some soy sauce. Baby bamboo was also very good and only needed a little soy sauce to come alive. Spicy hand cut beef was thick and delicious; crystal beef was as well, with a wonderful earthy herbal seasoning.

Konnyaku were delicately knotted Japanese vermicelli and were very good. Black pepper chicken filet was excellent from both broths, even without sauce but the flavor and soy sauces added nicely. Hong Kong Style sausage was very good with an interesting sweet flavor. Spring rolls were good and made better with peanut sauce.  Shrimp paste was better than I expected especially with the sauces... very savoury flavour and it was recommended by the waiter. Wontons were delicious even with no sauce, as were dumplings which had an excellent flavor.

There are no desserts per se included... jellies are $2.95 extra, but the fried buns were sweet and had the usual icing sugar sauce, so made a nice dessert dish. There is also fresh fruit including pineapple at the sauce station; it and orange slices and honeydew melon filled in nicely. Service was very good and fast. It was certainly an excellent lunch and one of the best hotpots I have been to in terms of freshness and flavours, but unfortunately not enough of an improvement over far more reasonably priced establishments that I could avoid calling it overpriced. From the $26.95 base cost whereas others can be several dollars less, $2 non-AYCD pop whereas others include a self-serve beverage station, mandatory expensive broth whereas others usually have an included basic broth, and still not including basic desserts and tacking them on as extras (also unlike other places) it worked out to $44 for lunch for one even with no desserts, after tax and tip! This is about $10 excessive so my value-based rating must reflect this. I don't think I would return due to the cost, certainly not with Mishy as I don't think she would want to pay that.

Rating: 7-7.5/10