"Spicy Godfather's Four Divine Beasts Hotpot Pot!" The Flame Goddess meat platter gets peeled layer by layer—super shy

Reported by reporter Hua Shaofu / Taipei

Right across from National Taiwan University, there’s a Ding Tai Ji Spicy Hotpot (formerly known as Dou Ding Spicy Hotpot), founded by the so-called "Spicy Godfather" Wen Guozhi. The shop not only offers brightly colored Four Divine Beasts pots, but its "Flame Goddess" meat platter is also a hit with many young people. Here’s an introduction. Special deal: From now until the end of June, show the 《ETtoday Eastday News Cloud》 app when ordering a set meal and receive one serving of Thai-style spicy preserved egg for free！

Ding Tai Ji has four floors in total. In addition to hotpots and stir-fries, it also offers a variety of rice set meals, making it perfect for gatherings among friends, post-class meetups for NTU students, or teacher-student banquets. The shop’s spicy hotpots come in four broths: the Vermilion Red Soup (Zhuque), which is spicy but not overly harsh with a numbing Sichuan pepper flavor; the White Tiger Fragrant Pork Bone White Soup (Baihu), made with simmered pork bones; the Xuanwu Taiji Yellow Soup (Xuanwu), infused with sweet, rich pumpkin; and the Azure Dragon Spicy Green Soup (Qinglong), offering layers of sour and spicy aroma.

For main courses, you can choose handmade noodles, glass noodles, or rice. One special touch: if you order a larger portion, the shop will include one black oyster mushroom. This is the newest mushroom variety in Taiwan, tasting like oysters but with an incredibly juicy texture. When served, it’s still alive inside a vacuum pack, allowing customers to cut and cook it themselves. "I’m close to many farmers in Taiwan, and I want more people to enjoy this delicious mushroom," Wen Guozhi said with a smile.

The most famous item at this hotpot restaurant is the "Flame Goddess." Currently, the beef is mostly U.S. Choice grade, ensuring quality for customers. The dish is named Flame Goddess because it comes with a doll as part of the plating—the slices of meat resemble her dress, offering a very “meaty” experience that tempts you to keep eating. Finally, 70% lime juice is poured over it. The meat that touches the alcohol and the parts that don’t differ greatly in taste and texture, creating an alternative “one beef, two flavors” way of enjoying it.

The vegetable platters are also quite unique. You can choose between hand-picked Yunwu pea sprouts or a mixed vegetable platter. As the name suggests, the hand-picked Yunwu pea sprouts let customers pick the sprouts themselves and toss them into the pot to cook—delicious, fun, and healthy. For those who prefer more hotpot ingredients, there’s also a mixed vegetable platter option.

There are also several stir-fried dishes worth recommending.

Old Skin Tender Meat
This dish uses egg tofu as the base, with the outside deep-fried until crispy and the inside remaining silky smooth—a huge contrast. It’s completed by drizzling the shop’s special spicy and sour sauce.

Typhoon Shelter Pork Intestines
Originally a fisherman’s dish, it features pork intestines stir-fried with crispy garlic bits, plus scallions and garlic. It’s extremely fragrant when served. Many might assume it’s spicy based on the name, but it’s actually not spicy at all！

Plum Preserved Pork & Gua Bao
These gua bao are called “Taiji Hanging Bags” by the shop. Their colors of pumpkin and bamboo charcoal are closely tied to the concept of the two elements, four symbols, and eight trigrams. The plum preserves are different from those used by many other shops. The pork is first deep-fried, and the greens use moist plum preserves, which require a full day just for rinsing and soaking. They’re then steamed together with sauce, garlic, pepper, and soy paste to finish the dish.

Tofu Skin Shrimp Rolls
The shrimp in the tofu skin rolls are made from whole shrimp meat sliced carefully—proof of the shop’s high-quality ingredients. Compared to many Hong Kong-style restaurants that use shrimp paste, the whole shrimp offers a more authentic texture and crispiness, resulting in a very hearty and satisfying bite.

Thai Cold Glass Noodle Preserved Egg Salad
Made with Thai sriracha sauce produced in the U.S., mixed with lemon juice and sugar, and paired with preserved eggs, shredded romaine lettuce, celery sticks, onion slices, and small bitter melon. It has a tangy and spicy taste, very refreshing and also great as an appetizer.

Special deal activity: From now until the end of June, show the 《ETtoday Eastday News Cloud》 app when ordering a set meal and receive one serving of Thai-style spicy preserved egg (worth 168 TWD) for free！

Ding Tai Ji Spicy Hotpot

Address: No. 104, Section 3, Xinsheng South Road, Da’an District, Taipei City
Phone: 02 2368 6811
Business hours: 11:30–16:00, 17:00–22:00 (Open until midnight on Fridays to Sundays)

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