hotpot/late night: i recommend SHIMIN DA DAO SHUA SHUA GUO

SHIMIN DA DAO SHUA SHUA GUO
or CIVIC BLVD HOTPOT
No. 50, Yanji St.
(02) 2577-8747

MRT: Zhongxiao/DunHua or SYS Memorial Hall

hours: 5PM- 5AM

$$-$$$

Kid friendliness: individual hotpots embedded in table;

Visit reviewed: 12/11/2010 (all photos with iphone4)




There's something to be said about a place that has a half hour wait at 11pm. Granted, we were a large group of 10 people, but it's impressive that this two-floor hotpot place seems to be a hotspot for those wanting a late night meal. Shimin Da Dao Shua Shua Guo is on the corner of Civic Blvd (or Shimin Da Dao) and Yanji Street, with an electric blue neon sign highlighting its entrance (and weirdly, the other hotpot place across the street is nearly empty).



Each person gets their own hotpot, a plate of veggies (with tofu, corn, mushrooms, fishcake and lots of cabbage) and a moment to look at the paper menu for meat options- the cheapest being choice pork at NT$280 to the most expensive-Kobe beef at NT$1880, or nearly US$60. There's also vegetarian and seafood options, like tilapia or scallop & prawns, as well as ala carte add on items (which is in Chinese only on the menu) like this make-your-own fish ball paste..



I decide on the prime pork (NT$320) which is tender enough, though I did enjoy the bite of my friend's boneless short rib. After ordering, the server will bring you the dipping soy sauce, which you can request to be spicy or not, as well as rice, vermicelli or noodles. My other friend ordered the snowy tender pork, and I didn't think it was considerably better than the prime pork even though it was more expensive.



It was my first time having midnight hotpot and hopefully not my last... it's great to have good friends to drag out my homebody self and the meal isn't too heavy that you'll regret it the next morning.



Complimentary sweet red bean soup to finish off the meal.



As we leave, the place is still full (with a few tables with kids!) and the taxis line up outside to offer up rides to take us home. It's pretty insane that they are open until 5AM, but I guess you'll know where to go the next time a late night craving for kobe beef hits you.


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