Da Long Yi had been waiting for the right moment, and I’d had enough of my Auckland Sichuan hotpot dreams so I gave them the chance. One evening when the craving struck we swung past and, let me tell you, it didn’t disappoint: plenty of thinly sliced meat, a bubbling broth, and that all-important DIY sauce bar that add an extra level of hands-on-ness to the experience. It might not be fancy, but it gets the job done, and did so quite nicely.
Best of all, it was pretty straightforward. Scan, order off your phone, cook your own food at the table. There was no fuss, just hotpot as it ought to be.
How did it go?
A Simple and Delicious Hotpot Meal
Da Long Yi Hotpot
We arrived just after dark and the lit-up shopfront greeted us. I’m a big fan of place that don’t skimp on the signage. You know exactly what you’re going to get.
I walked in to find my nostrils filled with the aroma of chilli oil and bubbling broth. Lanterns dangle from the ceiling. Timber screens divide the restaurant.
It extend further back than you might think. It’s all traditional stuff; they’ve gone for it. There are lanterns lining the bar area and tiled roofs overhead, but it doesn’t feel overdone.
We manage to nab a table and were soon settled down.
I was straight down to the sauce station before we’d even placed our order. One of my favourite part of a hotpot meal is being able to build your own dipping sauce just the way you like it. All the usual suspect were lined up: coriander, peanuts, spring onion, garlic, chilli oil, sesame paste.
I piled on the garlic and sesame, threw in a splash of chilli oil for some heat and called it good. My dining companion went the other way and loaded up on the spicy stuff. Nice touch that it’s all self-serve and unlimited.
If you need something cold to balance out the heat there’s a drinks fridge right next to the sauce bar. They’ve got the wifi details posted on the wall too. Small things, but they make the whole experience smoother.
Then it all arrived…
The table quickly became laden with food. We had ordered one of their specialty: the double broth pot; half mild, half spicy… So that we could try both side for each ingredient.
These neat little rose shapes were how they presented the meat. A touch over-the-top perhaps, but it did look nice at the table. So I picked off a couple of slice and dipped them into the boiling broth, waited a few seconds until they cooked through, and plucked them out to drop straight into my bowl of sauce.
It was everything I wanted; rich, tender, covered in garlic and sesame. There were some other bits that I can’t even recall, I was so busy eating! There were more slices of meat on wooden boards, some tofu rolls… you get the idea.
By this point, the entire table were covered in steam, plates and bowls.
There’s a QR code on each table which you use to order, scan it, select from the menu on your phone, send it off. I’m a big fan of that kind of system, no-one feels pressured to make up their mind quickly, you can scroll around the menu taking your time, and keep adding thing as you go. We went a little overboard initially and then had to slow down a bit when we realized just how much food would be arriving.
There’s a lot on offer, noodles, dumplings, vegetables, seafood, different cuts of meat, so you can really make it all suit whatever you feel like eating.
On our way out I took a photo of the sign out the front. It was hot, we were stuffed, a little sweaty from the spice and steam, and already discussing a return visit. That’s typically a good sign.
Da Long Yi is a place for a no-fuss but still pretty great hotpot meal if you’re looking for one in Auckland. Don’t expect it to be reinventing the wheel, just expect good broth, fresh ingredient and room to cook them yourself. That’s sometimes all you want.
Have you been to Da Long Yi? Do you have another favourite hotpot spot in Auckland? Let me know in the comments.
