You can get super-sized grass prawns here！ Refinement hot pot cuisine in Taichung

Text & photos /by Gui Xiaosun

Whether on Instagram or online... I’d been drawn to this place, ‘Bamboo Court Refined Hot Pot,’ for ages—no exaggeration, it was totally because of the abundance of seafood here～ But this ‘Bamboo Court Refined Hot Pot’ is notoriously hard to book！

Only when we came did we realize the seating isn’t actually that plentiful. We deliberately picked a time around four in the afternoon... and still had to wait about 20 minutes XD It’s starting to feel like winter is coming... Time to quickly share this simple write-up with everyone. Winter is when you most crave a warm, comforting hot pot, but actually, people in Taichung seem to eat hot pot all year round (we’re guilty of that too XD).

Noticed at the entrance they’re opening a new branch near Wenxin South Road and Zhongshan Hospital too！ Though not in our area, it’s great to have another option in the southern part of the city～

After waiting about 20 minutes, we got seated inside the shop... and realized it’s really not that big！ Like Karuizawa, they’ve used lots of wood and dark brown tones as the main theme for the interior design, but the space matches the number of seats seen in the photos. Probably for that reason, it’s so hard to get a table, and also if you’re dining as a couple... you’ll likely end up sharing a table with strangers XD

Here’s the menu for you to check out. Regular options like the Plum Blossom Pork Hot Pot are around 230 NT$！ Plus there’s a huge variety of seafood. For example, the ‘Giant Grass Prawn Hot Pot’ we ordered that day was 520 NT$... I personally think the ingredients are excellent, fresh and vibrant！ If there were just more seats, so couples didn’t have to share tables with others... it would be perfect XD

The side dish plate that comes with the hot pot has plenty of items... sweet shrimp, egg dumplings, fish dumplings, cabbage, loofah, tofu skin, mushrooms, tofu, meatballs... the portion is pretty good！ As for the broth, we both opted for the stone pot version, so when it arrived there was a nice aroma from sautéed onions～

There’s also a condiment bar, plus free drinks and Muji-brand ice cream... Our favorite hot pot condiments are: heaps of green onions, garlic, chili, soy sauce, and white vinegar XD That combo is always our go-to when eating hot pot. Missing any one feels off！ The only thing here that could be improved is if the garlic were minced instead of whole... hehe～ The Giant Grass Prawn Hot Pot also lets you order an additional meat option！ Since we both love Plum Blossom Pork, we got two plates！

The highlight of the day was the 【Giant Grass Prawn Hot Pot】！ It was seriously huge～ Compare it to the soup pot, meat slices, and tableware next to it... Four massive grass prawns completely stole my heart XD You can see pretty clearly here—the width of the prawns is about the same as the clams next to them... Their freshness made me feel it was absolutely worth it！

I love how with such a simple broth base, you can blanch these firm, refreshing slices of meat... Beautiful, well-marbled Plum Blossom Pork, with every grain of the texture on full display！ The next bite is dipped in your favorite sauce, popped into your mouth... So satisfying！XD

We dropped in two grass prawns at a time... Look at them taking a bath in the pot！XD The prawn heads leaning against the edge of the pot, it’s quite amusing～ Just look at the size ratio—it’s genuinely huge, the prawn bodies are even wider than the diameter of the pot！ As it boiled and bubbled... I was secretly hoping it would cook faster XD

Very theatrically, we placed the perfectly cooked grass prawns on the edge of the pot as decoration. Their size ratio is really satisfying to look at！ I savored each one slowly... tasting that mouthful of sweetness and Q-texture bite by bite！ Truly, once you’ve had luxury, it's hard to go back—your taste buds become pickier... After eating such large grass prawns, it might be hard to settle for smaller ones again！XD Below is a comparison between regular sweet shrimp and giant grass prawns—you can now see who’s the champion！Hahahaha～

Winter has finally arrived！ Felt like it took forever... Although hot pot is eaten all year round in Taichung, in winter almost every place is packed！XD Here I’m sharing with you this ‘Bamboo Court Refined Hot Pot’ we finally got to try. If I get the chance, I want to try the king crab～

Bamboo Court Refined Hot Pot
No. 205, Section 2, Wenhua Road, Xitun District, Taichung City
04-22549996
website

［Enjoy life without boredom. Gui Xiaosun］、FB

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