Having already had yak hotpot at Indigo the night before and experienced the rich, protein-rich flavor of yak beef, I was a little hesitant to try their yak hotpot set menu tonight. After all, it's human nature to want a change of pace.
But the rain was so heavy that evening that we decided not to go out. As it turned out, we almost missed out on a delicious meal that would have been a standout anywhere in China.
The restaurant is on the fourth floor of the hotel, with a terrace facing Songzanlin Temple. If I hadn't tried their food, I'd say this is its biggest draw.
The beef hotpot isn't a hotpot; it's a ready-to-eat soup pot. The broth is a gray, unassuming mess, filled with just beef and radish. Stirring it with a spoon reveals a surprising amount of beef. The pot is heated directly over charcoal, creating a unique experience. The broth boils over the bowl, and once you sip it, it's incredibly delicious. It's impossible to achieve such a concentrated flavor with just beef. I asked the waitress if they added dried beef, and she checked with the kitchen staff, and they told me they added local bacon. No wonder!
The table leader ordered matsutake mushrooms, and we hesitated to order one, considering the high price of seasonal wild matsutake. But when we asked, we found out it was 68 yuan per portion—an incredible price! Last night at the restaurant, a serving of wild matsutake sashimi was 400 yuan. The matsutake sashimi was sweet, crisp, and tender, filling the mouth with a strong mushroom flavor. It was delicious even without any seasoning, and even after being hot potted, it retained its flavor remarkably well. It made us, the Shanghainese, sigh that the matsutake we sell here is truly nothing... However, don't overcook matsutake for too long, as it will become tough and lose its flavor, so we don't recommend it.
The rest of the dishes were neither good nor bad. The ******* noodles were certainly delicious on their own, but they pale in comparison to the beef hot pot. The barley pancakes, dipped in the local oil-soaked green pepper rings, complemented the pancake's dryness perfectly, without being as filling as the oily version. The butter tea seemed to have been modified, but I personally preferred the original flavor, with its distinct cheese rind.
The portion size was enormous; the two-person set meal should have been enough for four people, and even the three Europeans sitting next to me couldn't help but leave quite a bit of leftovers.
All in all, this newly opened hotel has very high-quality food, and the owner must have invested money in promotion during the opening phase. It is recommended to give it five stars and is worth checking out.