Get your hands on Australian 9A wagyu and king crab at Taichung’s newly opened cast iron hot pot restaurant!

Text & Photos byFeitian Xuan

Taichung Hot Pot Recommendation – Meat Soul Cast Iron Cuisine

"Meat Soul Cast Iron Cuisine" is a cast iron hot pot restaurant that just opened at the end of May. Nowadays, hot pot restaurants all choose to open in the summer—counterintuitive, right? XD

"Meat Soul Cast Iron Cuisine" is located on Chongde Road in Beitun District, near the intersection with Wenhua Road. The previous tenant was "PinTian Ranch"... After Wang Group on Chongde Road took over "Juhokkaido Kelp Hot Pot" and "Yuan Shao," who would’ve thought "PinTian Ranch" would also say goodbye?

Just from the exterior, it feels quite imposing—I’d guess they have strong financial backing, probably invested in by some major dining group...

As soon as you walk into the restaurant, on the right you’ll see transparent fish tanks and meat refrigerators, with all the ingredients displayed for everyone to see...

This is probably the restaurant mascot, though I personally think it looks a bit creepy... (I’m a scaredy-cat, okay?)

We came for dinner on a weekend evening. Maybe because it had just opened, we managed to get a table even though we booked only at 10 PM the night before...

The menu... it’s seriously unique—it’s on a clear acrylic board. Though it’s not the easiest to photograph, I later found the same one on the restaurant’s Facebook page and just saved a screenshot... Hot pot prices start at NT$580 and go up to NT$1,580, placing it in the mid-to-high price range.

I’ve noticed that the hot pot market in Taichung seems to be heading toward this refined route, focusing on premium ingredients rather than all-you-can-eat, which perfectly caters to another segment of diners... On the left, the cast iron pot set focuses on "meat," while the one on the right is a "seafood" cast iron grill set.

There are also high chairs and kids’ utensils available if you bring little ones along.

Seasonings... I forgot the exact name of the sauces, but to be honest, I didn’t really use them much!

Drinks—they use Red Ruby No. 18 from Sun Moon Lake...

Unsweetened black tea. Though the taste is a bit light, I think it pairs well with the main courses. At least it feels refreshing and cuts through the grease.

Appetizers 

Some fresh fruit with dipping sauce—the texture was quite refreshing... Though for some reason, I kept tasting "garlic," but Kevin said he couldn’t detect it. Well, okay then!

Soda 

It’s something like berry vinegar, used as a palate cleanser. Both this and the black tea can be refilled endlessly, endlessly, endlessly... until you’re running to the bathroom non-stop!

There are three main dish options. We ordered a rice bowl and a bowl of ramen... (there’s also plain rice). I didn’t try either since having heavy meals at night already feels sinful, not to mention carbs... Actually, I originally suggested booking lunch, but "Meat Soul Cast Iron Cuisine" is only open for dinner—how disappointing... The rice and ramen were polished off by Kevin and Little Cherry—they both loved them!

Wagyu Samurai (Emperor) – NT$1,580

Hahaha... seriously crazy, right?! I just went for the most expensive item on the menu... Honestly, I thought Kevin works so hard all the time, might as well treat him to the priciest one to nourish him—after all, he’s the one paying...

The meat platter is served on a three-tiered afternoon tea stand. The moment the beef came out, it felt so luxurious—tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk... From top to bottom: wagyu wing, ribeye steak, and ribeye... According to the staff, the meat is imported Australian wagyu, grade 9A.

Wagyu Wing 

Just looking at the marbling tells you the quality. The texture is rich and juicy with a deep meaty aroma—absolutely delicious!

Ribeye Steak 

This one is great too, as it’s sliced a bit thinner than the wing, so the texture is more tender and soft...

Ribeye 

The texture is quite firm, and because the slices are cut thicker, it really fills your mouth in one bite...

I liked the serving plates—they were all washed clean, well-drained, and very fresh... There are three types of broth: beef, chicken & vegetables, and pork bone. We ordered the pork bone broth, which tasted really good as well...

The staff taught us that we could place the cooked meat on the seasoning plate and then dip it in sauce... There was really a lot of meat. Kevin doesn’t really like beef, so after just a few pieces, he said he didn’t want any more and told me to finish it all myself. It got to the point where I was almost scared of eating more meat...

Tokugawa Ieyasu – $1,580

This is also the most expensive dish in the cast iron hot pot set, and I only ordered it because I really wanted to try king crab... Absolutely no lottery win, absolutely no lottery win, absolutely no lottery win... The king crab is pre-frozen raw, though, so that makes the high price feel a bit more justified...

It comes with utensils for easy eating, plus a small side of scallop sauce...

After the cast iron hot pot is served, it’s cooked for about 7 minutes, and then the staff will come over to help lift the lid...

Whoa~ sizzle sizzle!! It's ready!! Time to eat...

The staff reminded us that we could take out the king crab first to avoid overcooking, which would make the meat tough... Being pre-frozen raw really makes a difference—the meat is sweet and delicious, really tasty!!

Other seafood items as shown above, a total of 8 kinds... Hokkaido king crab legs, abalone, oysters, mussels, Japanese scallops, squid, Hiroshima oysters, and cod...

I originally asked if the oysters could be replaced with something else if we didn’t eat them, but the staff said it wasn’t possible and suggested we just leave them in until after the hot pot is cooked. Later, I remembered that Kevin actually eats oysters. I’m so selfish—I just feel like one oyster can ruin the whole pot for someone like me who dislikes the fishy smell. But the seafood is really, really, really, really, REALLY fresh!! Our little Cherry also ate “ve~ry” happily!!

There are four soup base options: Umami, Hunan diced chili, Kyushu miso, and Sicilian tomato…

When eating seafood, I usually go for a more mild-flavored soup base so the original taste of the ingredients can shine through... After the cast iron hot pot is served, the staff poured a bit of white wine (or maybe sake!?), making the soup even more delicious and aromatic, with a subtle hint of alcohol...

Imperial Chef’s Rock Sugar Lotus Seed Soup

This dessert is nice—it has lotus seeds, white fungus, and longan... It feels thoughtfully made, making me feel like even if it’s not Häagen-Dazs, it’s still great!!

Caramel Apple Vanilla Ice Cream

Kevin finished this one...

Plum Love + Descendants of the Sun  

One is Calpis, the other is fresh pineapple juice...

Our little Cherry also had a great time, but she was being really noisy that day and refused to sit properly in her high chair—it was so annoying!!

During the opening period, they give away mascot dolls. Once turned into a doll, it doesn’t look as scary anymore, and the fierce aura is gone...

When we were leaving, it seemed like there were more people around...

My overall thoughts on dining at "Meaty Spirit Cast Iron Cuisine" that day—aside from the relatively high prices, there’s almost nothing much to complain about... The environment is spacious and bright, and the layout and table spacing are well arranged... The staff were excellent, gave clear explanations, and were able to quickly and clearly answer any questions we had. It felt like they had really good pre-service training... Also, the ingredients were all fresh and high quality, but yeah, it’s definitely not cheap!!

Taichung Hot Pot Quick Guide:Recommended restaurants and eateries in Taichung. Taichung Hot Pot Quick Guide: all-you-can-eat hot pot, individual hot pot, mixed hot pot, spicy hot pot, sukiyaki, ginger duck, mutton hot pot... A curated lazy pack featuring info on over 60 different types of hot pot in Taichung

Meaty Spirit Cast Iron Cuisine．de Meaty Spirit
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Address: 1F, No. 130, Section 2, Chongde Rd., Beitun District, Taichung City
Phone: (04)2236-8862
Business Hours: PM 17:00 ~ AM 1:00

Feitian Xuan
I record the eating, drinking, playing, and the ups and downs of my life in a light-hearted tone. Blog、FB