Taiwan is famous for their hot pots, but which are the best hotpots in town? In this installment of our Taiwan Travel Guide Series, we share our experience at Top One Pot, one of the most popular hotpot chains in Taiwan. Top One Pot is also known as 這一鍋皇室秘藏鍋物.
Best Places for Hotpot in Taipei
Contents in this Article
The word hotpot is synonymous with Taiwan. During one of our many trips to Taiwan, we chanced upon Wu Lao hotpot (無老鍋) which I highly recommend all visitors to Taiwan to try. This time round, we did some research during the planning stage of the trip to shortlist the best hot pot places in Taiwan. So today, we’re going to try this hotpot restaurant called Top One Hotpot (這一鍋皇室秘藏鍋物).
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Top One Pot – One of the Best Hotpot in Taipei
There are 12 Top One Pot outlets in the whole of Taiwan at the time of writing, 5 of which are located within Taipei city. The outlet that we went to was at Xinyi Road (台北信義殿).
The nearest MRT station is Daan (R5 on the Red Line). From the MRT station Top One Pot is within walking distance. You’ll even be able to get a good shot of Taipei 101 on the way to the restaurant.
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Top One Pot – A Hotpot Fit for Royalty
What makes Top One Pot so special? The restaurant has its beliefs firmly rooted in the miracle broths that royalties of various Chinese dynasties have used to maintain their youth, health and vitality. Thus the soup base at Top One Hotpot are said to be made from the secret recipes handed down from thousands of years ago.
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A Modern Day Chinese Restaurant
Inside the restaurant, the decor is modern, yet clearly retains its Chinese roots. Unlike a traditional Chinese restaurants, the lights here are dimmed to give every diner a relaxed dining experience. That was something which we appreciated very much because we could enjoy our steaming meal at our own leisurely pace.
The Royal Meal Top One Pot (Zhe Yi Guo)
What are the best things to order at Top One Hotpot?
Top One Hot Pot Soup Base
First of all, the soup base. There are a total of 4 soup bases to choose from. The highly recommended ones are the Phoenix Reunion Pot (鳳凰回巢鍋) and the Royal Spicy Hotpot (御膳麻辣鍋).
If you have been to Beauty in the Pot (美滋锅), these 2 soup bases are very similar to their 2 signature soup bases, namely the Beauty Collagen Broth and the Spicy Nourishing Broth. The other soup base at Top One are the Luxurious Pickled Cabbage Pot (一品酸菜鍋) and the Chicken Pot (老火湯).
You can choose to have either a pot of the same soup base, or a twin pot with a maximum of 2 different soup bases. Prices will differ based on the combination of soup bases that are chosen.
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Best Ingredients to order for Hot Pot
The best ingredient to order for your hotpot will be the Short Ribs Boneless Sliced Beef (NT388, around SGD$17.20). It comes beautifully sliced and hung up on a rack above a bed of dry ice. However, if you do not take beef, the next best thing will be the Matsuzaka Pork (NT328, about SGD$14.50). The sliced pork are arranged in the shape of a rose which is almost too pretty to be eaten!
One of the best things to try at Top One is also their Taiwan Black Pork.
For those who cannot do without your chicken, the best choice will be this plate of Drunken Chicken (NT168, around SGD$7.40).
If you are looking for something off-the-beaten-track, then this Scallion Pancake Roll (NT68, around SGS$3.00) fits the bill perfectly. It is one of the cheapest things on the menu, and it tastes very good as well!
King Oyster Mushroom (NT108, around SGD$4.80)
Thousand Fold Tofu Sheets (NT88, around SGD$3.90)
Frozen Tofu (NT58, around SGD$2.60)
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The Condiments – Mix your own
If you need condiments to go with your meal, there’s a whole counter dedicated to it. There’s even a recipe for mixing your condiments based on the soup base you have ordered!
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Complimentary Dessert – Cold Smoothie
As with many other hotpot restaurants, a cold smoothie is provided free-of-charge. This is a perfect perk-me-up after a hot meal.
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Dress Up for a Royal Night Out
For those who are interested in playing dress-up, the restaurant has a whole rack of traditional Chinese costumes for your use. You can choose to dress up like royalty or even as the emperor while you dine! It’s all complimentary!
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Final Verdict
Top One Pot (這一鍋皇室秘藏鍋物) is one of the best hotpots you can get in Taiwan. Plus it is not too expensive as compared to some other restaurants. We highly recommend that you give it a try! The restaurant can get rather crowd, so it is highly recommended that you make reservations online.
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How to Get to Top One Pot (這一鍋皇室秘藏鍋物)
The nearest MRT station is Daan (R5 on the Red Line). From the MRT station Top One Pot is within 5 to 8 minutes walk from Exit 4.
Top One Pot (這一鍋皇室秘藏鍋物) Xinyi Road (台北信義殿)
No. 88號, Section 4, Xinyi Road,
Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106
Sunday to Thursday 11:30-24:00 (Last Customer 23:00)
Friday and Saturday 11:30-01:00 (Last Customer 00:00)
We hope you find this article useful in your trip planning. We love to hear from you. Please drop us your comments in the comments box below.
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