EXQUISITE HEALTHY HOTPOTS FROM TAIWAN
Hotpot is enjoyed all year round in Hong Kong, and there’s always a hotpot restaurant nearby even in the heart of the city. Recently, a renowned restaurant originated from Taiwan known for its original take on hotpot dishes has been attracting attention. Situated in Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, Quan Alley has pushed the traditional hotpot to a new level with its ingredients delicately and artistically plated, and Chinese herbal medicine added into the soup bases. The “Oriental Beautyˮ soup base from Quan Alley’s signature combination pot, for example, is a soup base that not only good to the taste, but also nourishes the body with a variety of Chinese herbal medicine.
- Quan Alley was founded by Mr. Dai Shicheng from Shilin District, Taipei in 2012.
Before the restaurant started to operated, he spent two years preparing and designing
dishes, hoping that the customers would not only taste a good hotpot with ordinary
ingredients, but rather high-quality, exquisite, and handmade with the utmost skill, for
an ultimate hotpot feast. This hotpot restaurant in Taipei, first started as an unassuming
shop down a narrow alley, has now developed and grown rapidly over the last five years
with 3 branches. Good, old-fashioned, word-of-mouth has brought it to the attention
of famous brands such as Tripodking and Wulao Hotpot. In addition to the quality
of the food, the restaurant also pays great attention to the dining environment and
atmosphere. The nostalgic theme of the decoration has brought a century-old house
door from Lukang, Taiwan to the Hong Kong branch. Shipped from Taiwan to Hong
Kong, this original showpiece, alongside an antique piano and other smaller pieces
scattered about the restaurant, has created a tremendous impression, displaying the
founder’s commitment in focusing on the importance of customers dining experience.
“I hope that the hackers can enjoy the
exquisite dishes made by hand and
skill, and enjoy a hot pot feast.”
- First time stepping out of Taiwan to Hong Kong, the design and presentation of the dishes is definitely meticulous. The “reunion pots”, specially designed and hand-casted, worth around 1.2 million Hong Kong dollars, are full of circular vents that allow heat and light to pass through it and cast a pleasant circle of light on the table. The soup base itself is ingenious. The signature combination pot is slowed cooked with ingredients such as pork bones, pork knuckles, red dates, lotus seeds, lilies, etc. along with spices like fresh Sichuan peppercorn, chili bean sauce and pepper, and at least ten kinds of Chinese herbal medicine. This nourishing soup base is a beauty, red clay coloured, numbing but not too spicy. The finished broth is rich in layers, enjoyable even for those not usually partial to spicy foods. Beyond the signature hotpots, every dish here is a work of art.
Ibérico ham from Vallée de Los Pedroches was also exquisite. Its hind legs are air-dried for 60 months, meaning that the colour is redder and leaner than the ham from Los Pedroches, and making the texture chewier, and the flavour richer. We were informed that to enjoy the ham at its best, we should eat it right after it had been freshly sliced, and of course, if you are taking it home, it should be consumed within a month for optimum flavour and quality.
Quan Alley HK
Address: Shop OT G57, G/F, Ocean Building, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui
Opening hour: 12:30 – 15:30, 17:30 – 22:00
Telephone: 3188 2840
Parking: Harbour City Ocean Terminal ($26 per hour)
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