Fragrant for 50 years – Flounder Hotpot with homemade vegetable broth and signature fresh pork slices

Text/Photo byHuli Xiaohaihai

69 Hotpot Plaza | Tel: 08-7653239 | Address: No. 138-14, Zhongxiao Rd., Pingtung City (directly opposite the County Council)
Business Hours: Tue–Sun 11:00–14:00 / 17:00–23:00; Closed on Mondays

Recently, Little Tiger returned to Pingtung and found an old-school Shantou flatfish hotpot joint — this traditional flavor is her favorite... so she dragged Shali and Hu Mei Ji Yi along to check it out!'(['?)　Actually, 69 Hotpot Plaza has been around for over 50 years, but the boss’s mom used to run a flatfish hotpot place, so it’s a classic taste~~~ The shop offers quite a variety of hotpot styles.... I heard the broths are all slow-cooked, refreshing yet rich in flavor d(`?∀?)b The vegetable broth is the base for all the hotpots, and each flavor starts with this homemade stock~~~ It has more layers than your average broth, and soup lover Tiger was totally in heaven....

We sat right by the serving counter, where hot, fragrant vegetable broth was right in front of us~~ Doesn’t it look super clear? XD At 69 Hotpot, every pot comes with: glass noodles + basic veggie plate + main meat + winter melon tea + egg. Vegetarians are welcome here too!! They also offer special vegetarian hotpots and broths^^

【Spicy Milk Hotpot】＋Premium Plum Blossom Pork NT$220
At 69 Hotpot, you pay per main meat selection, so you can freely pick your favorite broth XD Shali occasionally craves spicy hotpot but can’t handle too much heat anymore.... Luckily, this one has a bit of milk to tone down the spice~~~ The meat is the shop’s signature “live-pit” Premium Plum Blossom Pork!(?д?≡?д?) Not frozen pork!! Not frozen pork!! So good!!

【Premium Plum Blossom Pork】
The meat slices actually shocked us when they arrived..... They’re pretty thick!! Super tempting~~~~ But ordering this one requires “patience”! Because the boss lady hand-slices them fresh on the spot =..= Rushing her won’t get you fed any faster.... Hahaha XD

Cooked in the Spicy Milk Hotpot, it’s really good~~~~ With a hint of spice and milky aroma, the plum blossom pork is thick-cut and high quality... Quite an enjoyable bite!!

【Premium Snowflake Beef】
This one we ordered separately. 69 selects their beef based on marbling.... So it’s not too greasy at all!! Just a quick dip, and the texture is really nice Up~~~

【Herbal Wellness Hotpot】＋Collagen NT$290
Hu Mei Ji Yi gets cold easily, so when she saw the herbal hotpot, she wanted to try it~~~ But we didn’t expect a real herbal pack to show up on the table!!(& д⊙)& Not a shared pot of mild herbal flavor... but an individual pack, brewed strong to the max~~~

Paired with the collagen dish provided by the shop, the herbal broth becomes even sweeter~~~ Smells rich, but finishes with a mellow aftertaste σ`∀´)σ& It’s perfect for bringing elders along!! Oh, and the base still includes the vegetable broth too!!

【Shantou Flatfish Hotpot】＋Premium Seafood NT$290
Haha, Little Tiger actually forgot to take a solo photo of the flatfish hotpot.....(／ 5Д′)／~ %g%g She was so into it she got distracted and couldn’t even take a picture XDD There were actually bigger-than-usual dried shrimp inside, really chewy!! Shali, who doesn’t usually like flatfish flavor, could still enjoy it.... Little Tiger said the flatfish she’d had before always used tiny shrimp, but 69 goes all out with the big ones!!

【Premium Seafood】
Did you notice the shrimp are already cooked?~~ The shop buys fresh shrimp daily, then blanches them right away to lock in freshness!! We threw them back in the pot for a second cook and it was totally fine.... You can really taste the shrimp’s unique sweetness and texture.

The premium seafood combo is pretty generous, even including scallops～～

The biggest surprise was the squid!! Most places serve squid that’s a bit soft and watery, but this one had a bouncy, tender freshness 0?`Д´)ノ

We even ordered an extra plate of squid.... Oops!! Did we eat too much? (sweat)

But it really does taste sweet and fresh!! If you skip carb-based mains, just the seafood is super filling～～

It doesn’t shrink much after cooking!! Doesn’t shrink much!! Doesn’t shrink much!! Actually, both Little Tiger and Shali care a lot about ingredient freshness.... Especially with seafood~~ We hate it when things shrink drastically after cooking XD

【Handmade Meatballs】
Meatball lover Shali couldn’t help but ask the shop.... Are these meatballs really handmade? And the answer was yes!! Isn’t the boss lady too busy... making meatballs while also brewing the flatfish broth@@ haha～～ But these meatballs are really delicious!! The texture is amazing (%?j%冤

Forgot exactly what’s added for texture, but it’s got great layers!! If you love meatballs, you can’t miss this one.... Please order extra, thank you (´"V%?j%撷V)

69 Hotpot really goes all out with the ingredients！Even the fish cake slices are thicker than usual＝ ＝

[Winter Melon Tea] Complimentary
We originally thought the complimentary winter melon tea from a hotpot place would be bland and tasteless... But we didn’t expect the owner’s wife to make it so rich～～ All three of us ended up really liking it！ Since it’s made by simmering homemade winter melon bricks, it has a more aromatic and mellow taste( σ^ ^)σ  We almost wanted to ask if we could buy some to take away... Hahaha！ The sweetness level of the drink is fixed, and some may find it a bit sweet—you can always dilute it with a bit of water if you prefer XD

By the way！When eating hotpot, many people still like to use dipping sauces～～69 Hotpot even customizes its own satay sauce.... The flavor is really quite unique！The owner’s wife reminded us that adding chopped onions makes it even tastier (providing onions as a dipping ingredient is just too generous!)

All dipping sauces are placed in one area—you can serve yourself whether you’re dining in or taking out！

The satay dipping sauce is pretty rich and has a bit of a grainy texture～～Sally loves it！

69 Hotpot Square serves a flatfish hotpot broth with over 50 years of history—the third generation now co-manages the place (it’s so cool that it’s been passed down from grandmother to grandson), and they’ve specially added many new broth varieties.... For Xiao Hu, who came especially to try flatfish hotpot for the first time.... it didn’t feel heavy on the body after eating！ We silently admire the owner’s wife for her years of dedication—just looking at their ingredients shows how genuinely kind-hearted they are XDDD  When you dine here, we highly recommend trying their fresh pork belly！(laughs)

Recommended for those who love the true authentic flavors of ingredients and the traditional rich taste &a(*´∀｀*)人(*´∀｀*)&a

Huli laughs happily
Life needs experiences, and life needs trying！ “Taste” is a very subjective thing—it’s only when expectations are met and emotions are stirred that the taste of love is created.
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