This is a famous Szechuan hotpot restaurant in Taipei, the “Haidilao” of my generation. Of late, they weren’t as popular as the brand is seen as “old”. But they recently had a revamp.
This is the third branch of the reverent Chan Chi 詹記, which was one of the stewards of the Taiwanese-style mala hotpot genre. One is attracted by the neon signboards of Ximen Great World on Chengdu Road, and enter the hall on the first floor. Right next to the pompous boulder relief (with a display of the classic Nokia mobile phones), a neon blue sign leads the way to the underground maze where the restaurant is located.
This location is the collective memories of many middle-aged Taipei people. In the early 90s, Ximending was the popular haunt of youths. They would go rollerskating in Wannian Commercial Building 萬年商業大樓 (opposite this building), play pool at Shizilin Complex 獅子林大樓 and then proceed to watch a movie here at Great World Cinema 大世界戲院.
This newest branch opened in May 2024 in the old Great World Cinema in Ximending, and tried be the hipster branch to cater to the younger generation. The main dining hall used to be a screening hall. Artist Luo Zhixin 羅智信 was responsible for the interior decor and created a nostalgic yet cheeky feel of the 90s. But the facility is modern, from robotic waiter to bring you to the table to digital ordering.
When I there, they were doing a PR event with a ghost movie that was launched in the Hungry Ghost month (seventh month of the Lunar Calendar). So the decor was decked with elements from the movie which really spooked up the place. Talking about Halloween (which I am sure they will be doing something during that time), Chinese spooks are scarier.
I ordered the “Yuanyang” hotpot 鴛鴦鍋, which came with the mala stock 麻辣鍋底 and a konbu pork bone stock 大骨昆布鍋底.
The joy of hotpot is the selection of different cuts of meat, from USDA Choice beef, and other selections. These are some of my favourite cuts, and as a full portion they were not too much.
Like all hotpot restaurants in Taiwan and China, one of the fun of having a meal here is to do your own concoction(s) of dips and condiments. Of course they have their signature “cocktail” recipe, but I have my own mix after years of eating hotpots.
And they have a special chilli oil that they put a warning label on the jug that eating too spicy is bad for health. Actually it wasn’t that bad.
This is the first time I stepped into a Chan Chi since I went to their flagship in Nanjing Road (no more in operation) back in the turn of the century. They pride to have a mala stock that can be drank as a soup. The tofu and blood pudding are still delicious, but I find the mala soup stock quite watery. Perhaps I asked for less spicy and less numbing, but the clear soup was total bland and had none of the pickle cabbage 泡菜 taste that I came to love.
The offals were pre-cooked, and you just need to put it in the mala section to infuse the flavours into the organs. And it is recommended that you put them in right away, because the longer they immense in the stock, the more flavourful they become.
Chan Chi was founded by Zhan Qidong 詹啓東 in Xinzhuang in 1994. He studied the tastes of Taiwanese for many years and came up with a unique Mala spicy stock. The signature smooth and tender duck blood pudding 鴨血 and well braised tofu 嫩豆腐 are considered to one of the best in Taiwan and come with the first pot of stock. They used to be free-flow but due to their popularity, you have to pay for top-up.
And a complementary dessert after you finish your meal, a ball of ice cream made to look the traditional kiamsngdee. There are several flavours to choose from, so it’s a random pick from the plate. The wrapper is also well thought through; it explains the flavours as well as a nice article.
When I was there, it was almost empty because it was not meal time. The location is in the popular shopping district filled with tourists so the business should pick up during meal time. Not something I would return very soon.
Chan Chi Hot Pot Lab 詹記麻辣火鍋（西門大世界）
B1, No. 81 Chengdu Road, Wanhua District, Taipei City
台北市萬華區成都路81號B1
Tel : +886 (02) 2311 1800 (Reservations)
Visited Jul 2024
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