Taste top-grade Hokkaido snow crab and American Wagyu striploin

▲ The steamed snow crab pot is packed with ingredients—just looking at it makes your mouth water!

Text & Photos byMi’er

Maybe it’s because everyone who knows me well knows how much I love crabs~ So today, Tianlin specially brought me to try this “Dingkuai Yipin Hot Pot” located near the intersection of Xinyi Road and Anhe Road. At first glance, the place looks quite large, but actually there aren’t many seats. However, it’s precisely for this reason that they can provide excellent service to every guest.

The seating arrangement here is very unique, especially the curved booth in the middle made up of three arcs, which resembles a cozy couple’s seat, offering great privacy for diners. The color scheme, mainly red and black, matches Mi’er’s red dress perfectly today, haha~ But the most eye-catching thing is the aquarium on the left side of the entrance, where cold-water seafood such as wild Hokkaido geoduck, flounder, Hokkaido snow crab, king crab, and matsuba crab are kept in separate tanks. Watching them swim so lively just makes Mi’er’s appetite soar (huh?!).

%Moutai Blue Margarita, a beautiful cocktail with a refreshing flavor.

After being seated, the staff wearing LED name tags will come over with menus and wooden chopping board-style dish displays to explain how the meal works. The lunch set is NT$3,000 for two people, with three options, but having live-frozen crab for lunch definitely isn’t as satisfying. The evening set, on the other hand, serves live crabs, with prices ranging from NT$2,500 to NT$5,000 per person, all in set meals that vary based on meat quality, sashimi, and crab grade. They also offer à la carte items, but the unit price is higher, so ordering the set is usually more cost-effective—you’ll definitely end up “super full.” Today, Mi’er overate and couldn’t finish a lot, which was such a waste. This hearty hot pot is actually really perfect for enjoying with good friends.

It’s said that the boss’s first hot pot restaurant opened in Neihu, while the Xinyi branch, which has been open for less than a month, is focused on “premium Hokkaido snow crab.” Aside from differentiating the market, there really aren’t many hot pot restaurants that specialize in Hokkaido snow crab.

The live crabs and seafood, specially flown in from the northern and eastern waters of Hokkaido, are, of course, top-notch in freshness. To bring out the purest flavors of these seafood items, the broth is a simple kelp and dried bonito dashi—the kelp comes from Kushiro and Oshoro in eastern Hokkaido, sealing the authentic taste of Hokkaido right in the pot!Best of all, the staff here are very attentive and will pick out all the crab meat for you, making it easy to eat.For those who love crabs but don’t enjoy cracking them open, it’s truly heaven on earth. If you want to enjoy the pleasure of digging into fresh crab meat, this is the place to go!

Other ingredients are, of course, no less carefully selected. The meatballs and dumplings include premium Jih Wen Ming Hu Juan, cheese fish cake, edamame fritters, basil squid, and specially customized Hsinchu Huapin meatballs, each with a unique texture. For meats, there’s specially chosen Matsusaka pork, thinly sliced but tender and sweet; for beef, there’s American Wagyu, Australian purebred Wagyu AA12-grade striploin, Australian 9+ Wagyu, and the one that amazed Mi’er the most—the boss has pioneered using American Wagyu striploin cap, also known as “gourmet steak” ribeye cap, for hot pot slices. Beef lovers absolutely must not miss this!!

There are apparently two ways to cook snow crab hot pot. This is the steamed method—cooked crabs are served in the pot with the lid on. Once steamed, the staff will remove the crab meat, pick it out for you, and then serve it.

Three appetizers are served on beautiful plates~

Pan-fried Hokkaido scallops—these should be size 2L scallops, large and tender, bursting with sweet umami in your mouth. The golden-brown seared surface has a slightly chewy texture and concentrated salty-sweet flavor. Braised South African live abalone, marinated to perfection.

Sea urchin and shredded yam—this is additive-free sea urchin from Nemuro in Hokkaido, rich with intense ocean flavor. You can tell just by the grains how fresh it is. Paired with hand-shredded yam underneath, it’s even smoother and more delicious~

Still bubbling in my mouth, here’s a photo of the live snow crab just scooped from the tank... Oh... no~~ it’s its majestic pose...............

Kelp vinegar, made with fine kelp from eastern Hokkaido and a specially prepared vinegar by the chef, offers a slightly sticky, smooth, sweet-and-sour taste that really whets your appetite.

Wow~~ what a luxurious sashimi platter is served~~ It includes live squid from Keelung Islet, white fish from Nanfang’ao, bigeye tuna, wild Hokkaido geoduck, Kumamoto oysters... Wait, these Kumamoto oysters are really premium, very rare. The snow-white oyster meat is tender yet crisp, bursting with rich sweetness in your mouth. Truly impressive!

The squid from Keelung is of exceptional quality. In season, it has a chewy texture and is 100% sweet~ Wild geoduck is a rare treat. This snow-white flesh is tender with a crisp bite, releasing a strong sweet aroma in your mouth. It’s really something else!

Next up is something that will make crab lovers screamSnow Crab Rice Bowl(Left image)! The bowl is practically overflowing with snow crab meat, topped off with sea urchin from the northeast coast and salmon roe for extra flavor. Oh my god, this bowl is pure happiness~~

The steamed snow crab pot is packed with ingredients—just looking at it makes your mouth water!

The dipping sauce is orange vinegar, but it turns out you don’t even need it—the crab is delicious enough on its own~~

%When dining here, what stands out is the crab roe hot pot—it’s the signature dish of this place, reflecting the chef’s dedication to authenticity. The flavor is already incredibly rich, and when you dip it in the special sauce, it becomes even more aromatic. When eating, just add a bit of soy sauce, and you can enjoy the deep umami flavor.