Spicy Sichuan Hot Pot Opened by a Celebrity Chef – A Secretly Passed-Down Flavor That’s Numbing but Not Spicy, and Super Addictive!

Text & Photos byWisely

Taiwanese people enjoy spicy hot pot all year round, but its delicious taste feels even better on cold days. This featured visit to ‘Guo’s Signature Premium Sichuan Spicy Hot Pot’ was opened by Chef Guo, the lovable chef from SETTV’s cooking show “Mr. & Mrs. Kitchen,” who is also highly skilled in preparing Sichuan cuisine. So this time, I went with friends just to try that secretly passed-down, richly aromatic and numbing red and white hot pot broth!

The exterior of the shop has a nostalgic Chinese style and is located in an alley off Dunhua North Road, only about a five-minute walk from Taipei Arena Station.

Chef Guo is also active in the media circle, so many celebrities and stars have visited, attracting many fans as well.

The interior space isn’t very large, but the decor style is classic and elegant, giving off the vibe of a top-tier Chinese restaurant. Whether it’s the tables, chairs, lights, or windows, all have a refined Chinese aesthetic, so the dining atmosphere here is no less impressive than other famous hot pot spots.

The cost per person here is NT$120 for the hot pot base, with a minimum spend of NT$500 and an additional 10% service charge. The duck blood and tofu in the spicy hot pot are unlimited and all-you-can-eat, and the broth itself can be purchased separately for NT$1000 (which includes NT$550 worth of à la carte items). The average price for hot pot ingredients is around NT$100–200, while meat options vary from NT$500 to NT$1000 depending on the grade. Therefore, it’s positioned in the mid-to-high price range, and it’s recommended to go with at least 2–4 people to better share the costs.

This time we were six people, and on average each person spent about NT$1000, which is actually quite good value for what you get!

Although the restaurant offers a variety of sauces, Chef Guo’s specially made “Garlic Sauce” and “Fermented Tofu Sauce” are the must-try dips for connoisseurs. The red broth pairs well with garlic sauce to enhance the flavor of the ingredients, while the white broth with fermented tofu sauce adds even more aroma.

For staple foods, you can choose from white rice, glass noodles, udon, or handmade Japanese knife-cut noodles. Although Wisely usually goes with white rice, their knife-cut noodles are absolutely exceptional. They don’t get mushy even after cooking for a long time and offer a texture that’s a mix between noodles and flat noodles. Once they soak up the broth, they become even tastier, and pairing them with some sauce makes them even smoother and more delicious.

For drinks, hot tea is available for unlimited refills, and aside from plum juice, the restaurant’s “Mijiu Shilu” champagne vinegar drink for NT$120 is highly recommended. In addition to helping cut the spiciness and stimulate the appetite, it also comes in apple, cranberry, and grape flavors. Wisely thought the apple flavor was great and definitely worth trying!

For the broth bases, there are currently two options: the chef’s secret recipe clear oil spicy hot pot and a special white herbal medicinal broth. Both are delicacies developed by Chef Guo using his own experience with Sichuan cuisine.

Both the red and white broths pair well with various hot pot ingredients, but I feel the herbal white broth is especially great when cooking green vegetable balls and dumplings, as well as seafood and white meats—it almost surpasses the red broth in flavor. Even if you’re afraid of spice, you can still enjoy the spicy red broth, as the central Sichuan peppercorn and herbal elements are designed not to be easily encountered.

Generous servings of locally sourced Taiwan taro for NT$100 and mixed seasonal vegetables for NT$220 really elevate the flavor, while the mixed mushrooms for NT$220 add even more aroma to the broth. And the must-try milk fruit corn for NT$120 from Hokkaido retains its sweetness even after cooking and tastes even better the more you eat!

Homemade smooth Sichuan meatballs for NT$150, handmade peppery meatballs for NT$150, and handmade squid balls for NT$150 all let you taste high-quality ingredients sourced from Penghu. The mixed handmade dumplings for NT$220 are selected from the renowned Keelung-based Sanji, and even the less-highlighted hot pot ingredients are made with premium materials—so you can really taste the care and flavor that go into the dishes!

Other items like the seafood platter for NT$480 and pork ribs for NT$150 are also excellent. They elevate the flavor of both the red and white broths, while maintaining great freshness. Paired with sauces and knife-cut noodles, they’re incredibly tasty.

For beef, the restaurant selects premium options. These include the sweet and delicious Australian full-blood wagyu for NT$1200, the richly marbled American Prime beef short rib for NT$600, and the tender and flavorful snowflake beef for NT$500. Each is worth ordering—each option uses top-grade ingredients, and the flavors are distinctly premium.

For those who don’t eat beef, you must try their Hungarian national treasure Mangalica pork “Manjiali Plum Blossom” for NT$800. Its fragrant taste is quite rare, and cooking it in the white broth makes the meat even more aromatic. And the “Kamalan Black Pork” for NT$380, which shares lineage with Japanese Kagoshima pork, has a layered texture with a hint of sweetness—it’s truly a hot pot delicacy.

By the end, everyone was so full they were nearly in a daze, yet the spicy hot pot’s duck blood and tofu were still being refilled free of charge and all-you-can-eat. It really made us want to take some home to cook spicy hot pot noodles later!

Guo’s Signature Premium Sichuan Spicy Hot Pot
Address: No. 9, Lane 145, Dunhua North Road, Songshan District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2547-4288
Hours: 11:30–14:00, 17:00–23:00
Website:WEB/FB

Wisely
A Pisces man who documents food, travel, and life,
Loves to write down the little moments in everyday life.
Always dreaming of the rich and colorful stories of others,
So he also earnestly records his own life moments in his blog.
Let the footprints you've experienced and explored in life exist not just in your mind.
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