Are you in the mood for hotpot but don’t know where to go? Maybe you’ve been to the same place over and over again and you’re looking for a change? Or maybe you just want some really good beef hotpot, and you’re wondering where to go.
This beef hotpot place right next to Addiction Aquatic Development will sort you right out. Pingtung Double Money serves up fresh, never before frozen, beef. It’s cut to order, it’s delivered to your table, and you can pick everything else you want from the ample selection from the fridges next to the dining area. It’s low stress & maximum beefy reward!
Table of Contents
Whether you have spent the afternoon around Addiction Aquatic Development eating some sushi, and you feel like it would be a waste to not get dinner around here. Or whether you have enjoyed a wonderful chat with friends over at Gusto Market of Taste and want to capitalize on good company with great food – this beef hotpot is the place for you.
It’s the kind of place you would probably walk past and barely even notice it was there. But, that would be your first mistake… Delicious beef hotpot would have passed you by!
Walking inside it’s understated and quite basic. But don’t let that put you off and definitely don’t let it affect your experience – the beef hotpot is absolutely worth it!
The Beef Hotpot Menu
I hate this menu. Anything weighed in 斤 I just struggle to quantify. The 斤 (Jīn) is a popular measurement of weight in Taiwan, and you’ll often see it at the fruit and veg market. Equal to 600g it does absolutely nothing for me. If it’s equal to 500g then it is infinitely more quantifiable, but 600g just puts it off kilter in my brain… Am I the only one? Am I just too dumb??
I digress… 半斤 here means half a Jin, which is equal to 300g. But what the hell does 300g of meat look like? Especially when its cut up thinly? Who the hell would know. Let me put this into context for you:
- 半斤 would be just about fine for 2 people at a hot pot.
- You would leave pleasently full, depending on your other dishes that you order.
- 一斤 of meat for 2 people would be too much.
- Gluttony of the highest order. This isn’t to say don’t do it, but just be prepared to open up the extra notch on your belt…
- 四兩 is 1/4 of a 斤, which would make it equal to 300g.
- This is probably about right for 1 person, depending on your other dishes that you order.
- We went as a 3, and we ordered 1x半斤 + 1x四兩
- The portion size was bang on, and we all have a good appetite.
The Fridges
So the rule here is that you go to the fridge, take out absolutely anything you would like, take it right to your table, then the server will come and total it up at the end of your meal. They distinguish between the different plate sizes and colours here, so don’t worry about having to remember what you ordered – that’s their job. Beef hotpot service is what you want.
The Soup Base
Balanced really nicely between flavorful, rich, and clean. This beef hotpot broth hit the spot. Some onions in there for the fragrance and the cleanliness, and it was a treat to drink. Top tip – drink the soup after it has boiled, before you put any of your other beef hotpot ingredients in. That way it remains untainted by raw food.
The Sauce Station
I am all about those sauces when I go to a hotpot place, let alone a beef hotpot. The fact that this is beef should have you going for the garlic straight away, here. I also love my sauce to be spicy, so I would always get some of that crazy hot chilli in there, too. And definitely don’t forget to get a spoon or two of the satay sauce back left. Oh, don’t forget the green onions and coriander, too. Sod it, just throw it all in. It’s all good!!! But always remember to add a splash of soy and a dash of vinegar to sign it all off right.
By this point, our beef hotpot was boiling nicely, but let’s talk about what we got out of the fridge, first…
What we ordered
Egg dumplings, shrimp wontons, and tofu. I strongly recommend all 3 of these. In fact, the shrimp wontons and the egg dumplings were so good that we ordered them online when we got home so that we could pimp up our instant noodles whenever the mood took us that way… And it has since, and they were great.
These kind of egg dumplings are made by coating the inside of a ladle with oil, then spooning egg mixture onto it as you hold it over a flame. You would drain off the excess mixture after the egg begins to set, then spoon some meat into the middle and flop the egg over before it has chance to fully set, crimping the edges like ravioli as you do it. They’re delicious.
The shrimp wontons are fairly standard, but what I liked here is that they were tightly wrapped, which meant that they were chewy as well as shrimply delicious.
How thick is that tofu skin, though? Layer after layer of fresh tofu goodness awaits you when you drop that in to the delicious beef broth. Go get it and dunk it in your beef hotpot. You won’t regret it.
We had to get some meatballs, because they looked so good. At the top is their taro meatballs, which were crammed full of delicious meat and sizeable chunks of fresh taro. They were really, really good.
The bottom picture shows the basil meatballs. Specked with basil, these were unbelievably juicy even after having sat in the beef hotpot for a period of time. Spiked with that fresh basil, I would definitely get these again.
Yep. Broccoli and enoki mushrooms are vegetables. But we are here for beef hotpot, folks!
Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble… Fire burn and caldron bubble… No baboons blood here, though, folks… A cheeky ode to ol’ Bill.
You should know by now that peanuts are my thang. I love me some peanuts. I prefer the roasted kind, but boiled and served with some pickled veg is also fine by me, too! Even at a beef hotpot.
The Beef
Salivation for the nation right here. As soon as this touched the table, the camera got to clicking quickly so that I could start cook it in the beef hotpot and eat it as soon as possible. On the top plate you will see the 霜降牛肉 (shuāng jiàng niú ròu) – marbled beef, and on the bottom you will see the 帶筋牛肉 (dài jīn niú ròu) – beef tendon.
The marbled beef is as you would expect, marbled to delectable deliciousness. The rich veins of fat that run through it melt away as you flash it for just a couple of seconds in the beef hotpot broth. Remember, never cook this type of beef too long. It’s fresh. Swipe it around just 2-3 times, then whip it out, dip it in whatever sauce tickles your fancy, and enjoy those awesome beef flavours that sing across your tongue.
The beef tendon can be cooked a little longer to allow the tendon to melt away a little, but still don’t cook it for too long. Maybe 9-10 swipes in the hot beef hotpot is all that’s needed here. The flavour is quite different to the marbled beef, being lighter and more subtle. The texture is a little chewier, but it’s still pretty good.
This beef tendon is also cut thicker than the marbled beef, which adds to the chewiness of the cut. I was surprised by how much I liked it, based on the contrast with the marbled beef on the plate.
Let me tell you, that marbled beef on the right was just unbelievably delicate. The flavours came through, the fat melted in your mouth, and everything was just great.
The beef tendon on the left was still really good, so give this a go if texture is more your thing. But stick with the marbled beef if you want something more delicate.
The bottom line
Is it worth it? I think it is. I don’t eat beef hotpot regularly, and when I do I certainly seldom eat this kind of fresh beef. I would definitely come back here.
What is the best dish? That marbled beef has featured numerous times in my dreams since I ate it. Get it. No disappointments here.