VANCOUVER: Hot Pot Season

I have still yet to try all of the Hot Pot restaurants in Hong Kong. So far, my all time favorite alternates between the expensive yet clean and safe Landmark on Cambie Street and a dirty, very local Fong Wing Kee in Kowloon Shing that serves ICE COLD COKE.

The best thing about Landmark is that they have the world's best Fish Tofu. I have never in my life had fish tofu as good as theirs. For those who don't know what fish tofu is, it's a fried ball of tofu with fish lined inside the tofu. The ball itself is hollow so when you poke your chopsticks through it, it absorbs all the soup.

Landmark also has one of the best fish congee in Vancouver at least. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you can only order this after 10pm as a midnight snack option. They give you a pot of steaming hot congee on the hot pot stove and fresh fish slices.

Fong Wing Kee on the other hand is not as classy. It's in a crappy area of town, it's dirty, the seats are uncomfortable and there's always pretty rude gangster-looking crowd hanging around.

If you can get past that, then you will be able to savor their slices of freshly cut beef that just melts in your mouth as soon as it comes out of the pot. They don't lay out the beef nicely like the expensive restaurants, basically they just pile them on top of the plate without any sense of aesthetic. When you taste the beef, you will understand why. They don't have to.
Another reason I love this place is because of their selection of ice cold drinks. Actually, they only have the basics.. but they are literally ICE cold. I've ordered a Coke Zero that comes in a plastic bottle with pieces of ice inside.