YX Mini Hotpot, Eastwood

Hotpot weather or not, you’ll want to check out our review on this picturesque Hotpot eatery in Eastwood. Is the food as great as the interior decor?

THE PRICE

We’ll admit this isn’t a place to go to for a weekly hangout spot. This place ain’t cheap for us el cheapos.

BUT if you’re looking for a place to visit as a once-in-a-while treat, then you might be open to the higher pricing at YX Mini Hotpot in Eastwood.

At this eatery, you order your food off the iPAD and choose your soup, sauce, drinks, carbs, veggies, meat and more – all of which are individually priced.

We went with a group of 3 people and the price came to $172 – this included 3 soup bases, 3 dipping sauces (unlimited refill), and 8 dishes. I’d consider this quite conservative for 3 people, so expect a bigger bill if you’re coming in with hungry folks or larger groups.

Here’s a handy tip if you want to view their menu and also see the individual prices for dishes, you can do so on their website and see breakdown of YX Mini Hotpot’s prices ranging from dipping sauces, soup bases, sliced meats and more.

THE FOOD

A Chinese hotpot is the best type of meal you can have during cold rainy weather as it keeps you warm with it’s fresh hot soup bubbling away in front of you. Also, if you didn’t know there is also something called dry hotpot which we’ve reviewed already so check that one out if you want to know more.

Like most hotpot places, you get to choose your soup base. This is where you’ll cook all your ingredients that you’ve ordered in, and you’ll want to choose a flavour that you enjoy.

At YX Mini Hotpot in Eastwood, you can choose up to 13 soup bases ranging from $8.80 to $38 (not all soup bases pictured below).

Everyone gets their own individual soup pots, and also get the option to try two soup bases as well (score).

We ordered the spicy soup, abalone and free range chicken, and free range chicken soup – all of which were delicious. The spicy soup had some kick (although we like spicy so it wasn’t as strong), but if you aren’t spicy tolerant be careful of the spicy soup bases, especially at Hotpot eateries where it’s unforgiving.

The abalone and free range chicken soup and free range chicken soup were very similar in flavours except the abalone flavour has a mild profile in the background. The abalone broth also comes with one abalone in it so be assured you’ll actually get to taste it!

You’ll also get to select your dipping sauces at the sauce bar. There is a huge selection of all the main flavours you’d normally get from a hotpot, and it’s also unlimited so mix and match as you feel. We recommend the sesame flavour – a hotpot classic.

There is a huge selection of sliced meats, seafood, meatballs, veggies, and more to eat with your broth so check out their menu on their website before heading in.

We chose beef and lamb sliced meats, and they were divine!

The premium lamb slices ($18.80) was thinly sliced with right amount of fat and protein in the lamb (we love lamb fat here).

We also ordered the Angus beef slices ($18.80) and they were just as delicious, we didn’t expect a lot of marbling but there were enough for us to felt it was still premium quality for the price.

If you want to try different meat slices, they have variety platters that allows you to sample different meat.

One of the main things that sets YX Mini Hotpot apart from other hotpot eateries is it’s meatballs.

They’re decadent, and have great presentation as you can see in the pictures below.

We ordered:

1. Fish Roe Cuttlefish Balls: 8 pieces for $18.80
2. Handmade Prawn Balls: 8 pieces for $19.80

Yes, they are pricey for 8 pieces, but they are delicious and worth the price. With that sort of pricing for seafood meatballs, you expect real seafood meat and you expect an abundance of it. The last thing you want is the meatballs mashed with flour and minor seafood meat and flavour. YX Mini Hotpot delivers in their meatballs 👌🏼.

Again, if you’re going with a huge group, that bill is going to rack up!

THE VIBE

One of the biggest factor that draws you to YX Mini Hotpot is their interior decor. It is grand, it is vibrant, it is decked out from top to bottom.

The painted sky ceilings with light shone up, the wooden structures, the grand stair case, the red lanterns – they all take you back to Asia. It feel as if you’re in a Chinese palace.

Their biggest statement is the fish pond in the middle of the restaurant, with koi fish swimming around. If this doesn’t scream luxurious Chinese cuisine, I don’t know what does. To enhance this feeling of luxurious, the lighting is also dimmed with background music – Overall, it’s a very good vibe to feel relaxed and enjoy a delicious meal.

It’s definitely a 10/10 WOW factor for us here.

THE SERVICE

A lot of the ordering was conducted through the iPAD so there hadn’t been a lot of direct interactions with the staff, but for the most part the staff was friendly and fast. They would also come around and ensure our hotpot soup was topped up.

THE VERDICT

Overall, there was nothing to fault during our time at the venue. The service was fast and professional. The food was fresh and high quality. The presentation of the food is beautiful. You can also tell by the decor that a lot of thought and effort went behind it to make it an experience.

Is this a best cheap eats venue? No. The pricing is higher and this is reflected in the food and decor. We do think that it is worth the value as there is a WOW factor to this place. It’s not just the food but also the atmosphere that builds this positive experience.

WOULD I COME BACK?

Yes, although, as we said, this place isn’t cheap. This is the sort of place you’d visit for a special occasion such as birthdays, farewells, get-togethers with friends you’ve not seen for a long time, or even a place to take someone to impress (maybe a date?).

Either way, we’ve written our thoughts to help you decide if you want to go there for yourself. Let us know your decision.