Good Luck Hotpot Review – Hotpot buffets are everywhere. But if you seriously want quality meat and pleasing aesthetics, Good Luck Hotpot best describes what you are looking for. A relative treated us to a dinner at Good Luck Hotpot, so I’d like to share with you our experience.
When we arrived at Good Luck Hotpot, we were greeted by a server that led us to our seats. Our companions were already there as we encountered quite a traffic. Thankfully, it was a weekday night so the restaurant wasn’t too crowded.
Good Luck Hotpot serves appetizers like jellyfish, braised beef, and black fungus as you wait for your orders to arrive. In front of our seats, there is a stage for the performers and I knew that we’d be expecting a show in the middle of our dinner.
Good Luck Hotpot Ambiance
The ambiance of Good Luck Hotpot very much resembles a Chinese palace. Even though I’m not that much of a fan of traditional Chinese series, at least I’m familiar with how it looks as temples we go to have similar looks.
Brightly lit lanterns hang on the beautifully designed ceiling with dragon-themed tiles. The walls are painted red showing how the Chinese favor the color – as a plus, seeing the bright red hue helps stimulate appetite.
The traditional sliding doors that the Chinese used during the dynasty era added to the classic vibe of the restaurant. Gold tablecloths symbolizing wealth help attract prosperity and luck adding that very sophisticated look.
I especially loved the solo hotpot made of brass. Each person can choose whichever type of soup he prefers. I chose mala soup for wanting to try out how a legit one tastes. But, in the end, I gave up because of its too much spicyness!
Good Luck Hotpot Chinese dipping sauce
My Good Luck Hotpot review wouldn’t be complete without sharing the dipping sauce that compliments any meat you are going to cook in your hotpot. We used to eat at a hotpot restaurant that also offers many selections of sauces but I never bothered trying them.
However, a few months ago, we tried Mala Sze Chuan Hotpot and learned that adding a few more different sauces makes one’s hotpot experience a whole different view. But every restaurant showcases different strengths and weaknesses which is why we love trying out different restos now and then.
The way Good Luck Hotpot serves its sauces was very appealing compared to others. Placed in a red box that looks like a tray, the sauces were neatly organized. You can add ground peanuts, sate sauce, wansoy, fresh garlic, oyster sauce, chopped chilis, peanut butter, chili sauce, and spring onions to your hotpot sauce.
A tube of wasabi was also included in the sauce set which is useful when you order sashimi (included in the hotpot buffet). Just be sure not to add too much, as you wouldn’t want its intense flavor to rise through your nostrils.
A can of sesame oil is also included (but is outside of the tray) so you can add more flavor to your meat. What’s best is that you can always refill your sauce mixture as the sauce is available on a side table.
Beef
After waiting for about 20 minutes or so, the raw beef strips that we ordered finally arrived. Arranged to look like a volcano, the plate would surely give you a fascinating sight when the server poured that seemingly hot liquid into the volcano’s mouth.
We immediately started cooking strip by strip in our hotpot and enjoyed soft and tasty beef. Dipped in our own blended shabu-shabu (hotpot) sauce, the beef strips were gone almost instantly!
The next few plates were still arranged in the same way, and the decoration only stopped after 3 more plates of fresh beef slices. It was one of the best meat quality we’ve eaten here in the country.
Sashimi (limited)
If you check the Good Luck Hotpot menu, you’ll see that every person will receive a complimentary sashimi platter. However, when we dined two months ago, we weren’t able to count how many plates of sashimi platters arrived.
Nonetheless, I can say that the raw fish slices were of high quality and didn’t have that fishy taste. Unlike other restos that offer sashimi with quite a fishy smell, Good Luck Hotpot gives you fresh raw fish to enjoy along with their other unlimited selections.
Klook.comSurf and turf (limited)
It wasn’t hard to understand how much lobster you can have when you dine at Good Luck Hotpot. The menu states that if you are dining alone or with someone, you can choose 2 from among the seafood platter they offer.
For groups of 3 to 5, you can choose 3; and you can get 4 if you are 6 to 8 in a group. Dine in for a group of 9 to 10 and you can select 5 from the surf and turf list. They offer assorted shrimps and crab, lobster, deep sea grouper, assorted crabs, and clams.
If you are not a fan of seafood, you can have premium meat instead. You can choose between Angus beef, lamb, and black chicken. We tried beef cubes but it seemed like it was a bit chewy compared to the others.
I’m not sure if I overcooked mine so the meat became tough. Anyhow, it didn’t affect my judgment on Good Luck Hotpot as the other meat selections were superb!
Grouper
Besides serving quality beef strips, Good Luck Hotpot also serves fresh grouper slices that are to die for. Soft and juicy, the fish slices are best enjoyed when it’s not overcooked. Overcooking your fish dries up meat so make sure to watch it while cooking to enjoy it more.
Elephant shell
If you are like us, who love trying out new restos, I would tell you that elephant shells are rarely seen. While we can get to eat it at some parties, we seldom see them at a buffet restaurant. Same with the other meats, it’s best not to overcook the elephant shells to avoid chewing on tough meat.
It was a great variation for us as we love eating beef. The chewy and soft meat of the elephant shell was great to exercise those gums as the meat requires more chewing to better digest them.
Oyster
I was delighted to see the plate of oysters on ice. I even enjoyed it raw with a bit of lemon juice because I couldn’t remember when it last happened. All I know is that I’d love to order it again when we go back to Good Luck Hotpot.
My stomach is now more sensitive than before, but luckily, it didn’t get irritated upon eating raw oysters. So it means that the oysters we got that night were of good quality! However, if you are afraid, might as well cook your oysters before eating them.
Free-flowing drinks
A buffet meal wouldn’t be complete without free-flowing drinks. You can order cans of soft drinks to wash down the food you eat or bottled water. Choose between Coke or Sprite to cool you down during your hotpot meal.
Unlimited desserts
I’m not an expert when it comes to desserts. But Good Luck Hotpot desserts made me crave their sweets for some reason. The first thing that I tried is its sweet glutinous rice cake. There was nothing special about their version, but it somehow hit that sweet spot in me.
Sprinkled with powdered nuts, the sweet glutinous rice cake was a great way to end the meal. The soft and chewy rice cake inside and the crunchy crust on the outside made me want to have another one.
Don’t forget to dip your rice cake sticks in the black sweet sauce that comes with it. The black sweet sauce resembles the syrup included in the famous Filipino snack called “taho.”
Another plate of dessert arrived named Papaya milk jelly. While it seemed like an ordinary fruit and jelly combination, it surprisingly blended well! The catch is that you have to use your hands to eat them because they are best enjoyed together, and they split when you use your fork.
My favorite among all the desserts was the Black sesame ball. The flaky outer skin will ready your palate for the black sesame paste filling. After that first ball, I knew I had to stuff another one into my tummy.
Conclusion
It was a privilege being able to try out Good Luck Hotpot – quality meat, great ambiance, traditional performance, and feel-good desserts. We’ll surely be back if we need a satisfying meal.
Have you tried Good Luck Hotpot? How was your experience? Share your story in the comment section below! I’d love to connect with you!
