Authentic Korean flavors！Q-textured rice cakes paired with crab seafood hotpot make a bold debut

Text & photos by /MIKA

In recent years, Korean cuisine has made a big splash, which is actually great news for someone like me who loves Korean food—because there are more choices now, and you don’t necessarily have to go far to enjoy it. But many Korean dishes available in Taiwan are adjusted to suit local tastes, some not spicy enough, some too sweet, and the flavor always seems just a bit off.

But this newly opened La Hot Pot Korean rice cake hotpot in Zhongli is run by a chef who personally learned the cuisine from a Korean master. The ingredients, including rice cakes and chili paste, are all imported from Korea... making the taste much closer to authentic Korean food. The rice cakes here are truly Q-textured—just like those in Korea—and the seasoning is on the sweet and spicy side, so friends who love Korean food must come try it out here！

Uncommon items in Taiwan like hand-shaken rice and spicy raw crab are also available here. Additionally, the samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) I’ve had in Taiwan is the most authentically Korean-flavored so far—I recommend it to fellow Korean food lovers like me.

La Hot Pot Korean rice cake hotpot is right below Venice Mall, next to Little Gathering食堂！

The interior decoration is playful, with a tree giving a warm welcome as soon as you walk in.

The space is very spacious, and the decor features Korea’s currently popular vibrant pink-and-industrial style.

Korean restaurants usually go for either a playful, flowery look or a bright, cute style, but in recent years, the trend of combining industrial elements has turned what used to be a cold, hard aesthetic into something colorful and lively.

The spacious area is accented with bits of greenery.

Sturdy classic sofas paired with pendant lights and wall decorations make the space feel incredibly cute and playful.

Different designs, the same sofas—but this section feels a bit more elegant.

Each zone offers a different stylistic vibe—the designer is really talented.

Soju, beer, makgeolli, and other drinks commonly seen in Korean dramas… Want to try the soju that Korean drama leads often drink? Come here and give it a shot！ My personal favorite is CASS beer—I always drink several bottles every time I go to Korea, and I’ll only order this at restaurants. The draft beer is seriously so good.

● 《ETtoday News Cloud》 reminds you: Don’t drink and drive, and don’t drive after drinking.

The menu at La Hot Pot Korean rice cake hotpot is designed in a simple and stylish way.

Start with a drink！！ All the famous Korean-imported beverages are here—even fruit-flavored soju, which I tried in Busan last time and it was really good！

Korean drinks tend to be sweet, but they contain real fruit bits, so they feel very authentic.

CASS beer is still my top pick！ I personally prefer beer and cocktails—the Korean soju is a bit too strong for me～

Shizhuangbao Apple Cider NT$100
No doubt Shizhuangbao fruit wine is truly timeless！ It looks so luxurious displayed like this.

Shizhuangbao Redberry Wine NT$100
Girls will definitely love Shizhuangbao fruit wines—these sweet fruit sparkling wines are so tasty.

Any girl who’s tried them will fall for this flavor.

Homemade Secret Recipe (limited edition)—apparently a unique homemade secret formula that the chef learned from a Korean master XD　You know how every chef has their own special blend and cooking tricks.

Century-Rare Spicy Raw Crab NT$380 per crab / NT$680 for two
This is a common Korean household-pickled side dish, which you rarely see sold in Taiwan—I guess because Taiwanese people are a bit wary of eating raw crabs！ But I summoned the courage to try it in Busan and was surprisingly impressed—it’s made through an elaborate pickling process that preserves the fresh sweetness of the raw crab, and it’s a common home-cooked dish in Korea.

It looks just the same as what you’d get in Korea, and that chili paste is as boldly red as ever.

The texture is really the same too！ Amazing, amazing～ The crab meat is marinated to absorb the flavors, so it’s sweet, spicy, and has the natural sweetness of crab meat. But the marinated crab meat is quite soft, so you’ll need to adjust to the texture.

Pusan Fried Chicken from Afar NT$360
Honestly, I’ve never actually had this in Korea before, so I can’t say if it’s very authentic!! But this Pusan fried chicken has a slightly tangy taste that really cuts through the richness and whets the appetite.

Hard-Earned Ginseng Chicken Soup NT$380
Every time I go to Korea, I always have ginseng chicken soup because you just can’t get that sweet, rich flavor anywhere else. But to my surprise, I finally found a version in Taiwan that really captures the Korean essence!! The broth is just as sweet and rich as in Korea, and aside from a slightly stronger ginseng taste when eaten in Korea, the flavor is just as good as any Korean restaurant’s dish.

This ginseng chicken soup is really cooked until it melts in your mouth—it practically dissolves the moment you take a bite. The meat is incredibly smooth and tender. Aside from the amazing broth, the chicken and glutinous rice are also soft, flavorful, and delicious.

Best Partner Series ~ featuring Korea’s trendiest hand-shaken rice and Korean-style grilled meats, etc.

Lettuce-Wrapped Meat (Beef/Pork) NT$180/pork NT$200/beef
Koreans love wrapping meat in lettuce—they enjoy a variety of textures and don’t like things too plain, so they often pair their meat with lots of sauces and fresh veggies. Wrap delicious Korean grilled meat with lettuce, garlic, chili, and spicy sauce in one bite for a layered and rich flavor experience.

Actually, Korean grilled meat is great on its own too—but since the seasoning is a bit sweet, pairing it with lettuce and spicy sauce is just perfect... a match made in heaven!!

Hand-Shaken Iron Box Bibimbap (Beef/Pork) NT$140
The origin of this hand-shaken rice actually comes from Korean students bringing bento to school—because they’d run around, shaking their lunchboxes, the rice would turn into bibimbap, but it surprisingly tasted really good. From then on, students loved shaking their bento boxes before eating for a more flavorful result. A heads-up: this hand-shaken iron box bibimbap is served at a lukewarm temperature, so personally, I still prefer stone pot bibimbap more.

Stone Pot Bibimbap (Beef/Pork) NT$170
I still prefer hot stone pot bibimbap—the crispy rice at the bottom is what makes it truly enticing. Especially when mixed with Korean spicy sauce, grilled meat, egg, and vegetables, the red and spicy mix is super visually appealing.

This is what the stone pot bibimbap looks like after mixing—so red and exciting for your taste buds.

Between being full and feeling snacky, there's that state where you’re somewhat satisfied but not overly stuffed—a perfect time to order some small bites or desserts to satisfy those cravings.

Cheesy Spicy Tteokbokki NT$180
The Korean tteokbokki at La Hot Pot is authentic Korean imported—you heard it’s from the same factory as Samcheong-dong tteokbokki. It’s really chewy, no doubt, and the texture is pretty similar too. This dish piles the spicy stir-fried rice cakes high with melted cheese and then bakes it, giving you a cheesy aroma paired with chewy rice cakes in every bite for a whole new flavor level.

The most beloved national food of Koreans is cheese and rice cakes!! Putting these two dream combinations together—how could it not be delicious, right?

Oppa’s Korean Pancake NT$200
How can Korean cuisine not have seafood pancake!? It’s a bit hard to find a place in Taiwan that serves pancakes loaded with ingredients and crisped up just right. To be honest, not every pancake place in Korea is great either (shrugs). But this one really impressed me—it’s crispy and fragrant enough.

The seafood inside is also high quality—you can taste the rich mix in every bite.

Korean Banana Steamed Egg NT$150
The name once made us think there were bananas in it XD, but actually no—it’s more about the fragrant, slightly caramelized taste... This is seriously super delicious and a must-order!! The steamed egg, cooked in a stone pot with scallop strips, offers a savory-sweet ocean flavor and melt-in-your-mouth soft egg richness. The tender texture is really nostalgic. Since it’s steamed in a stone pot, the bottom gets a slightly caramelized egg flavor—that’s the “banana” part of the name.

Iron Plate Grilled Big Series ~ I love iron plate dishes because they’re just so satisfying when hot.

Sear-Seared Korean-Style Beef Tenderloin NT$270

This beef tenderloin is really tender and flavorful. Cooked right on the iron plate, you can decide the doneness yourself. Paired with spicy sauce and kimchi, it’s both satisfying and authentically Korean.

You really have to watch the video to feel the irresistible sizzle of iron plate cooking.

Chuncheon Spicy Stir-Fried Chicken NT$428
Chuncheon spicy stir-fried chicken is a must-eat when visiting Korea!! It’s true we can’t match Korea’s level of professionalism and authenticity here because the tools are different... But the marinated spicy stir-fried chicken, mixed with triangle fish cake, veggies, rice cakes, sweet-spicy sauce, and a lot of melted cheese is still really delicious!!

Sauce-Braised Series ~ the deluxe flagship beef & pork tteokbokki hot pot and seafood tteokbokki hot pot.

Crab Seafood Hotpot NT$628
The broth is infused with the umami of generous seafood and crabs, then enhanced with tofu, rice cakes, and spicy sauces to create a richly sweet, fiery, and chewy texture.

The powerful presence of three-spot crabs takes center stage.

The broth becomes more flavorful as it cooks—loaded with plenty of seafood, its natural sweetness and briny taste are unbeatable, and the ingredients are heaped generously until they overflow. There are also loads of rice cakes, served generously here. Rice cake lovers, where are you?

Spicy Hot Series—Rice Cake Hotpots and Budae Jjigae in Various Flavors.

Classic Beef Rice Cake Hotpot NT$398
Doesn’t this look familiar?! It’s very similar to the budae jjigae pot, right? Hahaha~ That’s just how Korean food is—stews often share similar ingredients. The budae jjigae actually looks pretty similar too.

Once all the ingredients are added and the broth comes to a boil, the flavors really develop.

Recommended add-ons for your stew—adding noodles or ham to the rice cake pot makes it even more delicious and satisfying.

Beef paired with chewy rice cakes is absolutely amazing. Also, the glass noodles soak up all the essence of the broth and become especially tasty, but it’s even better with noodles.

It’s a rice cake hotpot, but speaking from the perspective of Taiwanese Korean cuisine, the quality is really quite good. Whenever I crave rice cake pot in the future, I’ll definitely come here to La Hot Pot. Especially in winter, the craving hits even harder. This newly opened Korean eatery in Zhongli is highly recommended for fellow Korean food lovers.

La Hot Pot Korean Rice Cake Hotpot
Address: 2F, No. 18, Jiuheyi Street, Zhongli (next to Xiaoju Canteen)
Phone: 03 427 6978
Facebook Page:Click me, click me

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MIKA’s Travel & Food Diary

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